The Woman Who Killed The Master
by itsthetruth
Summary: The Doctor and Zara have survived the Valiant after finding out that Zara is the daughter of The Master and Lucy Saxon, resulting in her killing her father. Dealing with the horror of it all, how will Zara deal with Donna Noble aboard the TARDIS? And how will the return of Martha, Jack and especially Rose and the introduction of River Song effect her and The Doctor? 10/OC
1. Voyage Of The Damned Part 1

Zara jumped to her feet, pulling various controls as The Doctor scrambled after her. The wall reversed on itself and Zara pulled a lever, materializing inside the Titanic.

...

The Doctor and Zara stepped out into a storage closet. Zara leaned round, rubbing a hand against the edge of The TARDIS to make sure it was ok, before The Doctor took her hand and lead her out of the closet. The two of them stepped out into a wood panelled room decorated with potted palms and Christmas decorations, people dressed in early 20th century clothing mingled around as waiters walked round, passing out hors d'oeuvres and champagne. In the background, a band played a sedate version of Jingle Bells played. Zara and The Doctor glanced over at two golden angels, clearly robots before wandering over to the window and peering out.

"Right." The Doctor muttered.

"Attention all passengers." A man on the PA called. "The Titanic is now in orbit above Sol 3, also known as Earth. Population: Human," Above the Earth, the Titanic floated. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Christmas."

...

"Max Capricorn Cruiseliners-the fastest, the farthest, the best." A bald man with a thin moustache and a cloudly glass eye said on a video. "And I should know because my name is Max." He grinned and his tooth glinted gold. The screen reverted to the cruise line logo and The Doctor turned away, dressed in his black suit and bow tie, looking over at a door as Zara stepped out, and his hearts stopped. Her very slightly waved hair gently dropped across her shoulders and she wore a thick strapped, dark blue ruffled dress that came down to her knees, a thick black ribbon around her middle and a pair of black tennis shoes.

"What?" Zara frowned, stopping in front of him as The Doctor tried to swallow, his mouth dry. She was so... beautiful. She put a hand up to her eye, "Have eye got an eye lash loose or something?"

"No." The Doctor stuttered. "Uh, no."

"Distracted by my eyes?" She joked, smirking at him.

"Yes." He laughed. "Your shining dark green eyes." He teased when Zara immediately sobered, staring at him sadly. Of course, that's what The Master said about her eyes... "I'm sorry-"

"It's fine." She shook her head, taking his hand. "Didn't really know the bloke. Well, I did, but not as my father."

He reached into his pocket, taking out a small silver ring, engraved with dark blue swirls round it, "Merry Christmas, genius." He winked at her, taking her right hand and sliding it onto her ring finger.

"I didn't get you anything..." Zara blinked. "It was nearly Christmas for Martha and I, obviously... I forgot though." She smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"C'mon." The Doctor smiled, walking off towards reception.

The Steward walked past them, "Merry Christmas, sir, ma'am." He nodded to them.

"Merry Christmas." The Doctor and Zara smiled.

Making their way back into the main lounge, the two of them making their way around the room when they walked past a man in a black suit, Rickston Slade, talking on his vone.

"It's not a holiday for me, not while I've still got my vone." Rickston spat. "Now do as I say and sell." He turned and walked off, Zara eyeing him as The Doctor pulled her up to one of the robotic angel, a Host.

"Evening." He nodded to the Host. "Passengers 57 and 58. Terrible memory. Remind me. Uh, you would be..."

"Information: Heavenly Host supplying tourist information." The Host replied.

"Good, so, um...tell me-cos I'm an idiot-" He winked at Zara. "She isn't." He looked back to the Host. "Where are we from?"

"Information: the Titanic is en route from the planet Sto in the Cassavalian Belt. The purpose of the cruise is to experience primitive cultures."

"Titanic." Zara frowned in amusement. "Um...who...thought of the name?"

"Information: it was chosen as the most famous vessel of the planet Earth."

"Did they tell you why it was famous?" The Doctor asked.

"Information: all designations are chosen by Mr Max Capricorn, president of Max-Max-Max..." It's voice turned higher in pitch, repeating itself.

"Ooh, bit of a glitch." Zara winced as The Doctor reached into his pocket for the sonic.

The Steward suddenly hurried over, seeing the Host malfunction, "Sir, madam, we can handle this." He waved over two other stewards who rushed over and switched off the Host, taking it away. "Software problem, that's all. Leave it with us, sir, ma'am. Merry Christmas." He smiled, following after the other stewards. "That's another one down." He muttered to them. "What's going on with these things?"

...

The Doctor and Zara sat at a table, Zara's legs laying across The Doctor's lap.

"I just..." Zara sighed, laying her head on The Doctor's chest. "Don't understand why she took the blame for me."

"Because you were her daughter, that's why."

"I killed him though." She whispered before bolting up right, looking at him. "Oh my god, I killed the only other Time Lord apart from you! I killed one of only two Time Lords, oh my-"

"Ssh, ssh, ssh, ssh!" The Doctor interrupted, rubbing a hand up and down her arm. "It's ok, it's ok. I'm not on my own anymore though, am I?"

Zara frowned, thinking about it, before her eyes widened, "But I'm human!" She gasped as The Doctor gave her a look. "But I'm not... wait, what does that make me? Like... human plus? Human plus Time Lord? Time Lady? No!" She snapped, shaking her head. "I am human, with one life and-"

"Zara." The Doctor said quietly. "You're a Time Lady. I'm sorry," He started to smile. "But now we're not on our own! And-"

"No!" Zara snapped, jumping to her feet and shaking her head. She turned round, getting distracted by a short blonde waitress, Astrid Peth, drop a tray of drinks as Rickston bumped into her.

"For Tov's sake, look where you're going!" Rickston shouted at her. "This jacket's a genuine Earth antique."

"I'm sorry, sir." Astrid muttered, kneeling down to pick up the broken glass.

"You'll be sorry when it comes off your wages, sweetheart. Staffed by idiots. No wonder Max Capricorn is going down the drain." He rolled his eyes and stormed off.

The Doctor moved over to her, Zara following, "Careful." The Doctor smiled, helping her pick up the glass as Zara watched. "There we go."

"Thank you, sir." Astrid smiled. "I can manage."

"I never said you couldn't. I'm the Doctor, by the way." He nodded up at Zara. "This is Zara Saxon."

"Astrid, sir, ma'am. Astrid Peth."

"Nice to meet you, Astrid Peth. Merry Christmas."

Astrid stared at him, surprised, "Merry Christmas, sir."

"Just "Doctor", not "sir"."

"You enjoying the cruise?"

"Um...Yeah, I suppose." Zara shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't quite work, a cruise just us." The Doctor looked up at her, she was clearly not taking Martha leaving very well. He was thinking now that as soon as they'd had a look around to find what the ship that had crashed into them was, they should have left. Zara had a lot to sort out in her head. Not just everything since The Master had taken her from the Silo, but losing Martha and everything with Jack.

Astrid stood up, "You're not with anyone?"

"No, no. Just us." The Doctor explained as he stood up. "Just, uh...used to be but, uh... No. What about you? Long way from home, Planet Sto."

"Doesn't feel that different. I spent three years working at the spaceport diner, travelled all the way here...and I'm still waiting on tables." She sighed, walking away.

The Doctor followed after her, "No shore leave?" He asked.

"We're not allowed." She sighed, clearing a table by the window. "They can't afford the insurance. I just wanted to try it, just once. I used to watch the ships heading off to the stars and I always dreamt of...It sounds daft."

"You dreamt of another sky. New sun, new air, new life. A whole universe teeming with life. Why stand still when there're all that life out there?"

"So..." Astrid eyed the two of them. "You travel a lot?"

"All the time. Just for fun."

Zara laughed sarcastically, glancing out of the window, distracted, "Well, that's the plan. Never quite works."

Astrid frowned at her, "Must be rich, though." She said to The Doctor, turning back to him.

"Haven't got a penny." He leaned towards her. "Stowaways."

Astrid's eyes widened, "Kidding."

"Seriously."

"No!"

"Oh, yeah."

"How did you get on board?"

"Accident." He waved a hand at her. "We've got this, sort of, ship thing. We were just rebuilding her. Left the defences down, bumped into the Titanic. Here we are. Bit of a party, we thought "Why not?"."

"I should report you."

"Go on then."

"I'll get you a drink..." She smiled. "On the house." She whispered before walking off.

"She fancies you." Zara muttered.

The Doctor shot her a glare, before watching Astrid as she passed a group of first class passengers who were pointing and laughing at a large couple dressed in purple country western outfits, sitting at a table and eating.

"Just ignore 'em." The man commented to his wife.

The Doctor and Zara moved over, sitting next to them, "Something's tickled them." The Doctor commented.

"They told us it was fancy dress." The woman muttered. "Very funny, I'm sure."

"They're just pickin' on us because we haven't paid." The man explained. "We won our tickets in a competition."

"I had to name the five husbands of Joofie Crystalle in "By the Light of the Asteroid". Did you ever watch..."

Zara frowned, thinking about it, "Is that the one with the twins?" She asked.

"That's it. Oh, it's marvelous."

"Probably not good enough for that lot." The man remarked, motioning to the laughing crow. "They think we should be in steerage."

The Doctor reached into his pocket, "Can't have that, can we?" He put the sonic at his side, aiming it at the laughing crowd, making the champagne on the table pop it's cork, spraying them.

"Did-Did you do that?" The woman gasped.

"Maybe." the Doctor shrugged, putting the screwdriver away.

"We like you."

"We do." The man agreed, holding out his hand to The Doctor. "I'm Morvin van Hoff." The Doctor smiled, shaking his hand. "This is my good woman, Foon."

The Doctor shook Foon's hand, "Foon. Hello, I'm the Doctor." He out his arm around Zara. "This is Zara." Zara smiled back at the couple.

"Ooh, I'm gonna need a Doctor by the time I'm finished with this buffet." Foon laughed. "Have a buffalo wing." She nodded to the plate on the table. "They must be enormous, these buffalo, so many wings."

The Doctor nodded, picking up a buffalo wing and holding it out to Zara who shook her head.

The Doctor frowned, "What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

"I murdered my father, let my mother take the blame, found out the man who raised me was with me for a year without realising and lost my best friend in the space of a few hours." She said under her breath. "I feel like I'm going to be sick any minute."

"Attention please." The PA called as The Doctor stared sadly at Zara. "Shore leave tickets Red 6-7 now activated. Red 6-7."

Foon took out a red ticket from her pocket, "Red 6-7. That's us." She stood up, looking at The Doctor and Zara. "Are you Red 6-7?"

"Might as well be." Zara laughed, shaking The Doctor from his thoughts.

"Come on." Morvin smiled, putting his arm around Foon. "We're going to Earth."

...

An older man, Mr Copper, dressed in a tweed suit held up a red sign that read"6-7".

"Red 6-7. Red 6-7." Mr Copper called. "This way, fast as you can."

The Van Hoffs rushed over, The Doctor and Zara following when Astrid approached.

"I got you that drink." She whispered as Zara eyed only one glass on the tray Astrid carried.

"And I got you a treat. Come on." The Doctor muttered, taking the tray from here and setting it on a table.

"Red 6-7 departing shortly." Mr Copper called.

The Doctor stepped forward with Zara, holding up the psychic paper, "Red 6-7 plus one."

"Uh, quickly, sir, and please take three teleport bracelets if you would."

"I'll get the sack." Astrid hissed as The Doctor took three teleport bracelets, passing one to Zara, the other to Astrid.

"Brand new sky." The Doctor smiled.

"To repeat, I am Mr Copper, the ship's historian, and I shall be taking you to old London town in the country of U.K. ruled over by good King Wenceslas." Mr Copper explained to the crowd. "Now human beings worshipped the great god Santa, a creature with fearsome claws, and his wife Mary. And every Christmas Eve the people of U.K. go to war with the country of Turkey." Zara raised an eyebrow at the man, amused. "They then eat the Turkey people for Christmas dinner...like savages."

"Excuse me, sorry, sorry," The Doctor interrupted softly. "But, um...where did you get all this from?"

"Well, I have a first class degree in Earthonomics. Now stand by..."

Suddenly, a small red man with spikes all over his face, dressed in a black suit came running through the crowd, "And me! And me! Red 6-7!" He called with a high pitched voice.

"Well, take a bracelet, sir?"

"Uh, but, um, hold on, hold on." The Doctor said, looking down at the red man as Zara smiled at him, clearly enjoying seeing a range of aliens. "What was your name?"

"Bannakaffalatta." It replied.

"OK, Bannakaffalatta. But it's Christmas Eve down there. Late-night shopping, tons of people. He's like a walking conker. No offence, but you'll cause a riot 'cause the streets are going to be packed with shoppers and parties..." He was cut off as the teleported away...

...

And reappeared on an empty street.

The Doctor frowned, looking around, "Oh."

"Bloody hell." Zara muttered, rubbing her arms. "Christmas, hovering over Earth, why didn't I think of bringing a jacket?!" She shivered and The Doctor put his arm around her shoulder in an attempt to warm her up. "God, I spent an awful lot of time here, didn't I?" She frowned, looking round the street. "So where is everyone? It's Christmas, it should be packed..."

"Now, spending money-" Mr Copper called to the group. "I have a credit card in Earth currency if you want to by trinkets or, uh, stockings or the local delicacy, which is known as "beef" but don't stray too far, it could be dangerous. Any day now they start boxing."

"It should be full." The Doctor muttered.

"It should be busy." Zara nodded in agreement. "Something's wrong."

"But it's beautiful." Astrid whispered, looking around in awe.

"Really?" The Doctor frowned. "Do you think so? It's just a street. The pyramids are beautiful, and New Zealand..."

"But it's a different planet. I'm standing on a different planet. Th-there's concrete...and shops, alien shops, real alien shops! Look, no stars in the sky. And it smells. It stinks!" She gasped. "This is amazing! Thank you!" She hugged The Doctor.

"Yeah? Come on then, let's have a look." He grabbed Zara's hand, pulling the two women over to a paper booth where inside, stood an older man bundled in winter clothes. "Hello there! Sorry, uh, obvious question, but where's everybody gone?"

"Oh-ho, scared!" The man laughed.

"Right, yes." Zara nodded, as if it was obvious. "Scared of what?"

"Where have you been living? London at Christmas? Not safe, is it?"

"Why?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, it's them, up above," He pointed up at the sky. "Look, Christmas before last we had that big bloody spaceship, everyone standing on a roof." He pointed to the small TV next to him, showing a clip. "And then last year, that Christmas Star electrocuting all over the place, draining the Thames."

"This place is amazing." Astrid remarked.

"And this year, Lord knows what. So everybody's scarpered, gone to the country. All except me...and Her Majesty." He stood proudly, looking at the TV.

"Her Majesty the Queen has confirmed that she will be staying in Buckingham Palace throughout the festive season to show the people of London, and the world, that there's nothing to fear." The TV reported

"God bless her!" The man saluted. "We stand vigil."

"Well, between you and me, I think her Majesty's got it right." The Doctor smiled. "Far as I know, this year, nothing to worry about."

Suddenly, they teleported away, leaving the man staring, mouth open.

...

The group reappeared back in reception.

"I was in mid-sentence." The Doctor remarked, annoyed.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that." Mr Copper apologised. "A bit of a problem. If I could have your bracelets-"

The Steward joined them, "Apologies, ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta, we seem to have suffered a slight power fluctuation. If you'd like to return to the festivities. And on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruiseliners, free drinks will be provided."

The ticket holders grumbled to themselves and departed.

"That was the best, the best!" Astrid whispered to The Doctor before leaving.

Zara approached the Steward with a frown, "What sort of power fluctuation?"

...

The Doctor leaned against the wall, looking out at the guests as they enjoyed themselves, keeping an eye out as Zara tried to pry the screen playing the Max Capricorn video open.

"Got it." Zara muttered, fiddling with the settings and looking back on the screen as it changed to show the Titanic in space as The Doctor shared a smile with Astrid, too distracted to notice what Zara was doing. Her eyes widened, seeing the shields offline before peering round and out of the window to see meteors approaching them. She burst back to the frame, turning on the comm, "Is that the bridge? I need to talk to the captain." She said urgently, shaking Te Doctor from his thoughts. He looked over in alarm, leering round at the screen and realising the shields were down. "You've got a meteoroid storm coming in West 0 by North 2."

"Who is this?" The captain replied.

"Never mind that. Your shields are down. Check your scanners, Captain. You've got meteoroids coming in and no shielding!"

"You have no authorization. You will clear the comms at once."

"Yeah? Just look starboard!"

Two stewards came up to Zara, leading her off, "Come with me, madam." The Steward said quietly.

The Doctor ran after her, arguing with the stewards, "You've got a rock storm heading for this ship and the shields are down!"

Zara pulled from their grips, bolting up to the stage where the band played, "Everyone, listen to me! This is an emergency! Get to the lifeb-" She was interrupted by a Host covering her mouth and dragging her off stage as The Doctor, Astrid, the Van Hoffs and Bannalaffalatta watched in shock.

Zara was dragged forcibly from the room, "Look out the windows!" She hissed to Rickston as she passed him.

"Oi!" The Doctor shouted, bolting across the room after Zara. "Let her go!" He caught up with them, trying to pull Zara out of their grasps. "If you don't believe her, check the shields yourself!"

Astrid suddenly ran after them, "Sir, I can vouch for her!"

"Look, Steward, he's just had a bit too much to drink." Morvin said, him and Foon also following.

"Sir, something seems to have gone wrong." Mr Copper called. "All the teleports are down."

"Not now!" The Steward snapped.

...

The Steward pulled Zara down a maintenance corridor, The Doctor, Astrid, Mr Copper, Bannakaffalatta and the Van Hoffs following after her.

"The shields are down, we are going to get hit." Zara snapped as everyone began to talk at once.

Rickston ran caught up with them, "Oi! Steward! I'm telling you the shields are down!" He called.

"Listen to him!" The Doctor growled, pulling at the Steward to let go of Zara, Astrid trying to keep him calm. "Listen to him!"

...

Three meteors hit the ship, sending everyone flying.

...

The Doctor grabbed Zara, protecting her as they were thrown to the floor. The both of them breathed heavily as the shaking stopped, the place in ruins, and looked around. The Doctor began to check Zara over, before noticing a rip across her dress, exposing the red scar across her stoumach. His eyes widened, tracing a finger over them.

"These aren't new." The Doctor mumbled. "They've healed over, when..."

"I'm fine." Zara gulped as The Doctor pulled her to her feet. "It's not a big deal..." She sighed, pulling off the rest of her dress over her head, making The Doctor's eyes widen as he eyed her white tank top that came just above her belly button and black shorts underneath. She rolled her eyes at him, as he stared at her tanned, flat stoumach, "Well I'm not wearing a ripped dress, am I?"

The Doctor shook his head, looking as everyone began to look around and shushed them, "It's stopping." He whispered. He moved over, helping Astrid to her feet. "You all right?"

"I think so." Astrid nodded.

"Bad name for a ship."

"Either that or that suit is really unlucky." Zara laughed, eyeing his suit. "Big human mutant, space Titanic crashing, what next hm?" Everyone began to scramble to their feet and The Doctor kneeled down next to one of the stewards to find he was dead.

"Ev-everyone..." The Steward stammered. "Ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta, I must apologize on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruiseliners. We seem to have had a small collision."

Zara moved over to a comm panel, The Doctor following.

"Small?" Morvin cried.

"You know how much I paid for my ticket?" Rickston snapped.

"If I could have silence, ladies, gentlemen..." The Steward begged as they ignored him, continuing to argue. "Quiet!" They all suddenly stopped. "Thank you. I-I'm sure Max Capricorn Cruiseliners will be able to reimburse you for any inconvenience. But first I would point out that we are very much alive."

Astrid turned to Mr Copper, who was still on the floor, "Are you all right?" She asked, dabbing a cut on his head as The Doctor headed back over to the others.

"She is, after all, a fine, sturdy ship. If you could all stay here while I ascertain the exact nature of the-the situation." He moved over to a hatch to open it.

Zara span round, "Don't open it!" She shouted.

The hatch flew open and the Steward was sucked out into space by the vacuum. Everyone grabbed hold of things around them in a panic. The Doctor looked over at Zara, pulling out the sonic and throwing it to Zara who turned back to the control panel, replacing the shield.

"Oxygen shield stabilized." The computer announced.

"Everyone all right?" The Doctor gasped. "Zar?"

"Hm." She nodded, throwing the sonic back to him.

"Astrid?"

"Yeah." Astrid panted.

"Foon? Morvin? Mr Copper? Bannakaffalatta?"

"Yes." Bannakaffalatta called.

"You," He nodded to Rickston. "What was your name?"

"Ah, Rickston Slade." He replied.

"You all right?"

"No thanks to that idiot."

Astrid gasped, "The steward just died."

"Then he's a dead idiot."

She gasped again, taking a step towards him.

"All right, calm down." The Doctor warned. "Just stay still, all of you. Hold on." He walked towards the hatch opening, Zara stepping next to him and taking his hand.

"What happened?" Astrid asked, moving over next to them. "How come the shields were down?"

"I don't think it was an accident."

They looked out into space, looking at the bodies floating among the scrap above the Earth.

"How many dead?"

"We're alive, just focus on that." Zara breathed.

"I will get you out of here, Astrid. I promise." The Doctor said, turning to Astrid. "Look at me." She looked up at him. "I promise." She nodded at him. "Good. Now," He looked around. "If we can get to Reception, I've got a spaceship tucked away. We can all get on board-"

"Doctor." Zara said softly, staring out.

The Doctor followed her gaze to The TARDIS, floating above the Earth, "Oh."

"What is it? What's wrong?" Astrid frowned.

"That's my spaceship over there." The Doctor sighed as Zara lay her head on The Doctor's arm.

"Where?"

"There, that box. That little blue box."

"That's a spaceship?"

"Oi, don't knock it."

"It's a bit small."

"A bit distant." Zara sighed. "Trouble is, once it's set adrift, it's programmed to lock onto the nearest centre of gravity and that would be...the Earth." She turned around, moving back over to the comm, activating it. "Deck 22 to the bridge. Deck 22 to the bridge. Is there anyone there?"

"This is the bridge." A male voice replied.

"Oh hello, sailor." The Doctor cheered, moving over to the comm. "Good to hear you. What's the situation up there?"

"We've got air. The oxygen field is holding. But the captain..." He paused a moment, "He's dead. He did it." His voice began to break. "I watched while he took down the shields. There was nothing I could do. I tried. I did try."

"All right. Just stay calm. Tell me your name. What's your name?"

"Midshipman Frame."

"Nice to meet you, sir."

Zara smiled softly, "What's the state of the engines?" She asked.

"They're um... Hold on." He suddenly groaned.

The Doctor frowned, "Have you been injured?"

"I'm all right. Oh my vot. They're cycling down."

"Oh my vot indeed." Zara muttered. "That's a nuclear storm drive, yes?"

"Yeah."

"The moment they're gone, we lose orbit." The Doctor frowned.

"The planet."

"Oh yes. If we hit the planet, the nuclear storm explodes and wipes out life on Earth." He looked to Zara. "Uhm..."

"Right," Zara sighed, nodding to herself. "Midshipman, I need you to fire up the engine containment field and feed it back into the core."

The Doctor smirked at her, placing a kiss to her head, "Genius." He muttered.

"Idiot." She shook her head.

"This is never going to work." Frame remarked.

"Trust me, it'll keep the engines going until we can get to the bridge." She turned off the comm and the two of them turned back to face the others.

"We're going to die!" Foon cried.

"Are you saying someone's done this on purpose?" Mr Copper asked.

"We're just a cruise ship!" Astrid shook her head.

"Okay, okay." The Doctor interrupted. "Tch, tch. First things first. One: we're going to climb through this ship. B..."

"No...two." Zara corrected.

"We're going to reach the bridge. Three-or C: we're going to save the Titanic. And, coming in a very low Four or D or that little "iv" in brackets they use in footnotes...why. Right then, follow me." Him and Zara turned to leave.

"Hang on a minute." Rickston called after them. "Who put you two in charge and who the hell are you anyway?"

The Doctor turned back, "I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 903 years old and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all six billion of the people on the planet below."

"And me?" Zara raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm Zara Saxon. I'm a human being." The Doctor filled with disappointment slightly. "I'm the only being in the whole of time and space who is a complete paradox and I'm about to stop this ship crashing." The Doctor smiled at her, proudly. "You got a problem with that?"

Rickston stared at them, miffed, "No."

"In that case, allons-y!" The Doctor cheered, pulling Zara off.

...

The Doctor slowly pushed open a metal door that lead into a stairwell littered with debris and sparking cables.

"Careful." The Doctor warned, holding Zara's hand tightly. "Follow me." The two of them went ahead, clearing the way as Astrid, Mr Copper, Rickston and the Van Hoffs followed them.

"Rather ironic when this is very much in the spirit of Christmas." Mr Copper remarked. "It's a festival of violence. They say that human beings only survive depending on whether they've been good or bad. It's barbaric."

"Actually, that's not true." The Doctor frowned. "Christmas is a time of-of peace and thanksgiving and...what am I on about? Christmas is always like this." He pulled away some stuff, uncovering a dormant Host. "We've got a Host. Strength of ten. If we can mend it, we can use it to fix the rubble."

"We can do robotics, both of us." Morvin called.

"We worked on the milk market back on Sto." Foon nodded. "It's all robot staff."

"See if you can get it working." The Doctor smiled, turning to Zara and Astrid. "Let's have a look."

Everyone but the Van Hoffs climbed the stairs, only to find their path blocked by wreckage.

"It's blocked." Astrid sighed.

"So what do we do?"

"We shift it." Zara nodded.

"That's the attitude." The Doctor smiled, squeezing her hand before looking back at the others, "Rickston, Mr Copper, and you, Bannakaffalatta...look, can I just call you Banna? It's gonna save a lot of time."

"No!" Bannakaffalatta cried. "Bannakaffalatta!"

"All right then, Bannakaffalatta, there's a gap in the middle. See if you can get through."

"Easy. Good." He shuffled through, squeezing the opening. The ship suddenly lurched again, sending loose debris falling around them.

"This whole thing could come crashing down any minute!" Rickston exclaimed.

"Oh, Rickston, I forgot." Zara snapped over her shoulder. "Did you get our message?"

"No. What message?"

"Shut up!" She shouted, making The Doctor laughed.

"Bannakaffalatta made it." Bannakaffalatta called.

"I'm small enough, I can get through." Astrid said, making her way through the hole.

"Careful." The Doctor called.

"I'm fine."

"Thing is, how are Mr and Mrs Fatso gonna get through this gap?" Rickston asked.

"We make the gap bigger." Zara muttered. "So start." She shoved a piece of metal into his hand. She winced, rubbing the scars on her stoumach.

"You alright?" The Doctor asked quietly, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

Zara nodded, "Still a bit painful." She mumbled. "I think I might have rescraped it when we fell."

"Why did he do it?" He asked. He'd worked out easily enough that the scars _must _have come from The Master... Zara ignored him, continuing to clear the rubble. "The Master, Zara. Why?"

"I was protecting Lucy." She replied. "She was heavily pregnant, I couldn't let him hurt that baby. Technically, I was saving my own life, so sorry for being so selfish." She snapped. The Doctor glared at her, putting a hand on her scars, his hand beginning to glow orange, "No!" She hissed, pushing him away, the scar still remaining on her. "You are not wasting your regeneration energy on me."

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something when Foon and Morvin's laughter floated up.

Rickston looked, clearly missing the previous interactions between The Doctor and Zara, "What happened? Did they find a donut?"

"I can clear it from this side." Astrid called through. "Just tell me if it starts moving." They waited for a few minutes, with no answer.

"What's going on up there?!" The Doctor called up.

Astried peered through, smiling, "I think Bannakaffalatta and I just got engaged."

Zara smirked, "Nice." She laughed.


	2. Voyage Of The Damned Part 2

"Almost done!" Morvin called up.

"Good, good, good." The Doctor smiled.

Zara turned back to the comms, "Mr Frame, how's things?" She asked.

"Zara, I've got life signs all over the ship but they're going out one by one." Frame replied.

"What is it?" The Doctor frowned. "Are they losing air?"

"No. One of them said it's the Host. It's something to do with the Host."

Zara looked down at the Van Hoffs as the Host they were working on sprung to life.

"It's working!" Morvin called.

The Doctor rushed towards to them as the Host grabbed Morvin by the throat.

"Kill. Kill. Kill." The Host called.

"Turn it off!" The Doctor shouted.

Foon attempted to "I can't, Doctor!" She cried.

The Doctor arrived next to them, "Go!" Foon backed up the stairs, Zara pulling her back gently as The Doctor used the sonic on the Host. "Lock! Double deadlock!" He put the sonic away, prying Morvin free with his hands instead. "Okay, go upstairs!"

"Run, darling, run!" Foon cried.

"Information: kill, kill, kill..." The Host called.

"Foon! Foon!" Morvin shouted, running up.

"Rickston!" Zara shouted, running to help The Doctor. "Get them through!"

"No chance!" Rickston snapped, squeezing through the narrow opening.

"Rickston!" Copper exclaimed.

"I'll never get through there." Foon shook her head.

"Yes, you can. Let me go first."

The Host began to go after The Doctor who was pulled back by Zara before the two of them ran up to the comm.

"It's the Host!" Zara called. "They've gone berserk! Are you safe up there?" They looked over to see Foon trying to get through the gap, Astrid and Mr Copper pulling her through.

"No, I'm stuck!" Foon cried.

"Come on, you can do it!" Astrid encouraged.

"It's going to collapse!" Mr Copper exclaimed, grabbing a pole to make the gap bigger, Foon being able to make it through. "Rickston, vot damn it, help me!"

"No...way." Rickston refused.

"Morvin, get through!" The Doctor called.

Morvin pushed his way into the gap, attempting to get through. The Doctor and Zara looked back over at the Host, still following them.

"Kill. Kill. Kill." It called.

The Doctor grabbed Zara's hand, the two of them coming up behind Morvin.

"Doctor, he's stuck!" Astrid gasped.

The Doctor put his hands on the back of Morvin, "Mr Van Hoff, I know we've only just met but you'll have to excuse me." He began to shove him, managing to push him through.

"That's it. We've got you. Doctor, Zara, come on, get through."

The Doctor moved in front of Zara as the Host appeared right behind them.

The Doctor turned to the Host, "Information override! You will tell me the point of origin of your command structure!"

"I can't hold it!" Mr Copper called, straining.

"Information: Deck 31" The Host replied.

The Doctor pushed Zara through, "Thank you." He scrambled through. "Let go!"

Mr Copper released his grip on the pole and the beam crashed onto the Host's head.

Zara let out a breath, sitting on the floor and leant against the wall, shutting her eyes.

Foon looked over at a table, "Morvin, look, food."

"Oh great." Rickston muttered sarcastically. "Someone's happy."

"Don't have any then." Morvin glared.

The Doctor moved over to Zara, pulling her to her feet and pulling her into a hug, "You alright?" He mumbled in her ear.

"Just shattered." She sighed, pulling out of the hug and heading for the comms. "Mr Frame, you still there?" She asked into the comm.

"Yes, ma'am, but I've got Host outside. I sealed the door." Frame replied.

"They've been programmed to kill." The Doctor frowned. "Why would anyone do that?"

"That's not the only problem, Doctor, Zara. I had to use a maximum deadlock on the door, which means... No one can get in. I'm sealed off. Even if you can fix the Titanic, you can't get to the bridge."

"Yeah, right, fine. One problem at a time, we've got Zara, she's a genius. What's on Deck 31?"

"Um, that's down below. It's nothing. It's just the Host storage deck. That's where we keep the robots."

Zara peered at the scanner, "Well, what's that?" She held her hand out to The Doctor, who handed her his glasses. "See that panel?" She put on the glasses. "Black. It's registering nothing. No power, no heat, no light."

"Never seen it before."

"100% shielded. What's down there?"

"I'll try intensifying the scanner."

"Let me know if you find anything." She handed the glasses back to The Doctor. "And keep those engines going!" He took Zara's hand, the two of them moving over to some crates and sitting down.

Astrid approached the two of them, handing them a plate with food, "Saved you some. You might be a Time King and Queen from Gaddabee but you need to eat."

"Yeah, thanks." The Doctor smiled, taking the food, beginning to eat it.

"So, you look good for 903." Astrid commented, sitting down opposite them.

"You should see him in the mornings." Zara laughed.

"Okay."

The Doctor and Zara looked up at Astrid, who's eyes widened and looked away.

Copper came up to them, "Doctor, Zara, it must be well past midnight, Earth time. Christmas Day."

"So it is." The Doctor smiled at Zara. "Merry Christmas." He placed a kiss to the top of her head.

"This Christmas thing, what's it all about?" Astrid asked.

"Long story." Zara shook her head. "We should know, we were there. That didn't take long."

"Martha thought it was very short." The Doctor nodded in agreement.

"But if the planet's waking up, can't we signal them?" Mr Copper asked. "They can send up a rocket or something."

Zara shut her eyes suddenly in fear, thinking about all the rockets across the planet during The Master's takeover.

The Doctor squeezed Zara's hand, "They don't have spaceships." He said.

"No, I read about it. They have shuffles, space shuffles."

Zara opened her eyes, looking round at him, "Mr Copper, this degree in Earthonomics,...where's it from?"

"Honestly?" He sighed.

"Just between us."

"Mrs Golightly's Happy Travelling University and Dry Cleaners." He sat down next to them, mopping his brow with a hankie.

"You-you lied to the company...to get the job?" Astrid asked.

"I-I wasted my life on Sto. I was a travelling salesman, always on the road and I reached retirement with nothing to show for it. Not even a home. And Earth sounded so exotic."

The Doctor smiled, "Hm, I suppose it is, yeah."

"How come you know it so well?" Astrid asked.

"I was sort of...a few years ago, was sorta made...well, sort of homeless, and, um there was the Earth."

"Thing is, if we survive this, there will be police and all sorts of investigations." Mr Copper sighed. "Now the minimum penalty for space-age fraud is ten years in jail. I'm an old man. Well, I won't survive ten years."

The door banged, startling The Doctor and making him drop the food, grab Zara's hand and rush over to the opposite door.

"A Host! Move! Come on!" The Doctor shouted as the pounding continued, denting the door. Astrid screamed and they all rushed over to the opposite door. The Doctor pulled out the sonic, using it on the door. They rushed out into a room that ran the height of the shift, a makeshift bridge made by fallen strut through the middle, the engines under the bridge.

"Is that the only way across?" Rickston asked.

"On the other hand, it is a way across." The Doctor said confidently.

Astrid peered over the edge, "The engines are open."

"Nuclear storm drive." Zara nodded. "Soon as it stops, the Titanic falls."

"But that thing," Morvin eyed the bridge. "It'll never take our weight."

"You're going last, mate." Rickston scoffed.

Zara put a hand on Morvin's shoulder, "It's nitrofine metal." She reassured him. "It's stronger than it looks."

"All the same, Rickston's right." Morvin nodded. "Me and Foon should-" He stepped on a weak piece of metal towards the edge, which gave way, sending Morvin over the edge and into the engine with a scream.

"Morvin!" Foon cried as everyone watched in horror.

"I told you!" Rickston exclaimed. "I told you!"

"Just shut up! Shut up!" Mr Copper shouted.

"Bring him back!" Foon cried hysterically to The Doctor. "Can't you bring him back? Bring him back, Doctor!"

The Doctor looked at her sadly, "I'm sorry, I can't."

"You promised me!"

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Mr Copper gulped, "Doctor, I rather think those things have got our scent."

"I'm not waiting." Rickston said, starting across the bridge.

"Careful!" Zara called after him. "Take it slowly!"

A rumbling rocked the ship and Rickston stumbled, nearly falling.

"Vot help me." He muttered to himself.

"You're okay. One step at a time. Come on, you can do it."

Mr Copper looked back at the door with a gulp, "They're getting nearer!"

The Doctor turned back to the door, "Seal us in." He muttered, using it on the door.

"Leaving us trapped, wouldn't you say?"

"Never say trapped, just inconveniently circumstanced." Zara smiled.

"Oh."

Rickston made his way halfway across, "I'm okay!" He called back.

"Maybe he's all right." Foon called hopefully. "Maybe-Maybe there's a gravity curve down there or something. I don't know. Maybe he's unconscious."

"I'm sorry, Foon." Astrid sighed. "He's gone." She hugged her.

"What am I going to do without him?" Foon cried.

"Yes!" Rickston cheered, reaching the other side. "Oh yes! Who's good?!"

"Bannakaffalatta, you go next." The Doctor called.

"Bannakaffalatta, small." Bannakaffalatta smiled, making his way.

"Slowly!"

The Host pounded on the door from the other side.

"They've found us!" Copper gasped.

"Astrid, get across right now."

Astrid looked across at him, "What about you?"

"Just do it. Go on." Astrid nodded, starting to go across as he turned to Mr Copper. "Mr Copper, we can't wait. Don 't argue." Mr Copper nodded, following Astrid. "Foon, you've got to get across right now."

"What for?" Foon sobbed. "What am I gonna do without him?"

"Doctor, Zara!" Rickston called from the other door. "The door's locked!"

Zara moved over to Foon, "Just think...what would he want, eh?" She said reassuringly.

"He don't want nothing, he's dead!" Foon cried.

"Zara, Doctor, I can't open the door." Rickston called. "We need the whirring key thing of yours!"

"I can't leave her!" The Doctor called.

"She'll get us all killed if we can't get out!"

The Doctor looked at Foon, "Mrs van Hoff, I am coming back for you, all right?" Foon nodded and The Doctor took Zara's hand, the two of them making their way across the bridge, the metal creaking.

"Too many people!" Bannakaffalatta cried.

"Oi! Don't get spiky with me!" Zara shouted. "Keep going!"

"It's gonna fall!" Astrid gasped.

"It's just settling!" The Doctor reassured them. "Keep going!"

It became quiet, the pounding stopping.

"They've stopped."

"Gone away?" Bannakaffalatta asked.

The Doctor frowned, "Why would they give up?"

"Never mind that." Rickston snapped. "Keep coming!"

"Where have they gone? Where are the Host?"

Mr Copper glanced upwards, "Doctor... I'm afraid...we forgot the tradition of Christmas-that angels have wings!" He nodded as the Host flew down from above, encircling them.

"Information: kill." The Host announced, reaching for their halos.

"Arm yourselves!" Zara shouted. "All of you!" They all reached for bits of metal or piping, hitting back the halos in defence. One came flying towards Zara, slicing across her scar as one hit Mr Copper's leg, Astrid also falling to her knees.

"I can't." Astrid gasped as The Doctor angrily glared at the cut on Zara's stoumach, the woman ignoring it, then back at the Host.

"Bannakaffalatta stop!" Bannakaffalatta shouted. "Bannakaffalatta proud! Bannakaffalatta, cyborg!" He lifted his shirt, an energy field disabling all of the Host, sending them flying into the engine, apart from one that fell onto the bridge behind The Doctor.

"Electromagnetic pulse took out the robotics." Zara breathed, wincing at the pain. "Oh, Bannakaffalatta, that was brilliant!"

Bannakaffalatta fell to the floor, Astrid moving to help him, "He's used all his power!" She gasped.

"Did good?" Bannakaffalatta asked.

"You saved our lives."

"Bannakaffalatta happy."

"We can recharge you, get you to a power point and just plug you in!"

"Too late."

"No, but...you gotta get me that drink, remember?"

"Pretty girl." He smiled before dying.

Astrid stared sadly, going to button his shirt before Mr Copper reached for his power source.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me." He said sadly.

"Leave him alone." Astrid snapped.

"It's the EMP transmitter. He-he'd want us to use it." He gently took them out. "I used to sell these things. They'd always give me a bed for the night in the cyborg caravans. They're good people. But if we can recharge it, we can reuse it as a weapon against the rest of the Host. Bannakaffalatta might have saved us all."

"Do you think?" Rickston asked. "Try telling him that." He pointed behind them to see that the Host that had landed on the bridge begin to move.

"Information: reboot." The Host announced.

"Use the EMP!"

"It's dead!" Mr Copper cried.

"It's gotta have emergency-" Astrid gasped.

The Doctor stepped towards the Host as it approached them, "No, no, no." He stammered. "Hold on. Override loophole security protocol... Ten! 666! Oh. 21, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Um, I dunno, 42!"

"Uh, one!" Zara shouted, stepping next to him.

The Host stopped mid step, standing passively, "Information: state request." It replied.

"Good...right." Zara nodded. "Leave this to me." She muttered to The Doctor. "You've been ordered to kill the survivors, but why?"

"Information: no witnesses."

"But this ship's gonna fall on the Earth and kill everyone. The human race have nothing to do with the Titanic so that contravenes your orders, yes?"

"Information: incorrect."

"But why do you want to destroy the Earth?"

"Information: it is the plan."

"What plan?"

"Information: protocol grants you only three questions. These three questions have been used."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Well, you could have warned us." He muttered.

"Information: now you will die."

The Host moved to strike them its halo when a lasso was thrown over its head, much to The Doctor and Zara's surprise, and tightened around its body by Foon.

"You're coming with me." She muttered, closing her eyes and jumping over the side, pulling the Host with er.

"Nooooo!" Zara screamed, reaching to grab her, only for The Doctor to pull her back by the waist, everyone watching helplessly as Foon fell. She stared bitterly at the engine. She'd watched too many people die in the last few hours. The Master, Morvin, Bannakaffalatta and now Foon. "No more." She spat as The Doctor pulled her into a hug.

...

"Right." Zara called, determined, as they made their way into another maintenance corridor. "Get up to Reception One. Once you're there, Mr Copper. You've got staff access to the computer. Try and find a way of transmitting an SOS. Astrid, you're in charge of this." She handed her the EMP. "Once it's powered up, it'll take out Hosts within fifty yards but then it needs sixty seconds to recharge. Got it? Rickston, take this," The Doctor handed him the sonic.

"Zara's preset it." The Doctor explained. "Just hold down that button. It'll open doors. Do not lose it! You got that? Now go and open the next door. Go on! Go!"

"All right!" Rickston nodded, heading off.

Zara pulled down a first aid kit, handing it to Mr Copper, "Mr Copper, I need you fighting fit."

"Astrid, where's the power point?" The Doctor asked.

"Under the comms." She replied and the two of them moved over to the power point.

"When it's ready, that blue light comes on there." He explained.

"You're both talking as if you're not coming with us." Astrid said quietly.

"There's something down on Deck 31. We've gonna find out what it is."

"What if you meet a Host?"

"Well, then we'll just...have some fun, eh?"

"Sounds like you do this kind of thing all the time."

"Not by chance. All we do is travel. That's what I used to be, just a traveller." He glanced back at Zara. "And then she changed the whole dynamic of it all... Now I'm not just running from something... I'm running for something." He shook his head, turning back to her. "Imagine it. No tax, no bills, no boss, just the open sky."

"I'm sort of...unemployed now and I was thinking the blue box is kinda small, but I could kinda squeeze in. Like a stowaway."

"It's not always safe."

"So you need someone to take care of you-"

"I've got someone to take care of me."

"I've got no one back on Sto, no family, just me. So what do you think? Can I come with you?"

The Doctor stared at her. Yes, he liked Astrid, she was good. But, he'd just lost Martha, him and Zara both had. And maybe if Zara hadn't made him realise how much Martha meant to him, he would of let Astrid come along. If it was just him, no Zara, than maybe yes. But she needed some serious time to heal. She'd learnt and lost a lot. They'd been apart for 2 and a half years, they needed a lot of time together, just them, like it used to be... of course without Martha, but still...

The ship lurched and The Doctor stood up, reaching for the comm, "Mr Frame, you still with us?"

"It's the engines, sir." Frame replied. "Final phase. There's nothing more I can do. We've got only eight minutes left!"

Zara skidded over to The Doctor, "Don't worry, we'll get there." She called.

"The bridge is sealed off!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm working on it." She smiled. "Got a little plan in my head, me. I'll get there, Mr Frame, somehow." She nodded at the EMP, noticing it charged. "All charged up?" She glanced between Astrid and Mr Copper. "Mr Copper, look after her. Astrid, look after him." She looked over at Rickston. "Rickston, um...look after yourself. And we'll see you again, promise." She started to leave, The Doctor following.

"Hold on, Doctor!" Astrid called. "There's an old tradition on Planet Sto..."

The Doctor turned back to her, "I've really got to go."

"Just wait a minute!" She grabbed the first aid kit from Mr Copper, setting it on the floor and standing on it before grabbing The Doctor and kissing him.

Zara glanced back, usually amused by this sort of thing, only to feel a drop in her stoumach, frowning at the kiss.

The Doctor pulled back, "Yeah, that's a very old tradition, yeah." He nodded, bemused, before running off.

"See you later!"

The Doctor looked back at her, "Oh, yes!" He grabbed Zara's hand, the two of them running off.

...

The Doctor and Zara ran into a kitchen, only to find four Hosts inside. The Doctor grabbed a pan by the handle, putting an arm in front of Zara protectively.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" He shouted. "Security protocol one! Do you hear me? One! One!" The Host abruptly stopped. "Okay, that gives me three questions." He glanced at Zara. "I'll deal with it this time. Three questions to save my life, am I right?"

"Information: correct." A Host replied.

"No, that wasn't one of them. I didn't mean it. That's not fair. Can I start again?"

"Information: no."

"No, no! No, no, no." Zara raised an eyebrow at him. "That wasn't one either. Blimey. One question left. One question."

"So, you've been given orders to kill the survivors but survivors must therefore be passengers or staff, but not us." Zara asked for him. "We're not passengers. We're not staff. Go on, scan us. You must have bio records. No such persons on board. I don't exist therefore...you can't kill us. Therefore, we're stowaways and stowaways should be arrested and taken to the nearest figure of authority. And I reckon the nearest figure of authority is on Deck 31. Final question: am I right?"

"Information: correct."

"Brilliant." The Doctor cheered. "Take me to your leader." He beamed as Zara gave him a look. "I've always wanted to say that."

...

The Doctor and Zara were escorted into the Host storage facility on deck 31, the two of them eyeing the structural damage and fires.

"Now that is what you call a fixer-upper." The Doctor commented. "Come on then, Host with the most, this ultimate authority of yours, who is it?" Two doors opened behind them and they looked round.

"Ooh, that's clever." Zara remarked. "That's an omnistate impact chamber. Indestructible. You can survive anything in that, eh?" A vechile began to wheel out. "Sit through a supernova or a shipwreck. Only one person can have the power and the money to hide themselves onboard like this and I should know, 'cause..."

The giant life support system wheeled fully out, the head of Max Capricorn attached to it, "My name is Max." Capricorn smirked, the gold tooth glinting.

"It really does that." The Doctor muttered.

"Who the hell is this?"

"I'm the Doctor and this is Zara. Hello."

"Information: stowaway." The Host reported.

"Well..."

"Kill them."

"Oh, no, no!" The Doctor shouted, grabbing Zara's hand instinctively. "Wait, but you can't. Not now. Come on, Max...You've given me so much good material like...How to get ahead in business. See "head"? "Head in business"? No?" He looked down at Zara, who just gave him an unimpressed look.

"Oh, ho ho, the office joker. I like a funny man. No one's been funny with me for years."

"I can't think why." Zara commented.

"176 years of running the company have taken their toll."

"Yeah, but...nice wheels." The Doctor nodded.

"No, a life-support system in a society that despises cyborgs. I've had to hide away for years. Running the company by hologram. Host, situation report."

"Information: Titanic is still in orbit." The Host reported.

"Let me see." He wheeled forward, The Doctor and Zara stepping out of his way. "We should have crashed by now. What's gone wrong?" He moved over to the edge, looking down at the engines. "The engines are still running! They should have stopped!"

"When they do, the Earth gets roasted." The Doctor frowned. "I don't understand. What's the Earth got to do with it?"

"This interview is terminated."

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Hold on! Hold on! Hold on! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! I can work it out. It's like a task. I'm your apprentice. Just watch me. So..." Capricorn looked at him. "Business is failing and you wreck the ship so that makes things even worse. Oh yes! No."

"Yes." Zara corrected, eyeing Capricorn. "The business isn't failing, it's fail_ed_. Past tense."

"My own board voted me out." Capricorn spat. "Stabbed me in the back."

"If you had a back. So... You scupper the ship, wipe out any survivors in case anyone's rumbled you and the board find their shares halved in value. Oh, but that's not enough. No, 'cause if a Max Capricorn ship hits the Earth, it destroys an entire planet." She gasped, understanding. "Outrage back home. Scandal! The business is wiped out."

"And...the whole board thrown in jail for mass murder."

"While you sit there, safe inside the impact chamber." The Doctor remarked, eyeing him.

"I have men waiting to retrieve me from the ruins and enough off-world accounts to retire me to the beaches of Pentaxico Two where the ladies, so I'm told, are very fond of...metal."

"So that's the plan. A retirement plan. 2000 on this ship, 6 billion underneath us, all of them slaughtered. And why? Because Max Capricorn is a loser."

"I never lose."

"You can't even sink the Titanic." Zara laughed.

"Oh, but I can, Doctor, Zara. I can cancel the engines from here."

Alarms sounded, making The Doctor and Zara look around in shock.

"You can't do this!" The Doctor shouted.

"Host, hold him." Capricorn ordered, two Hosts taking The Doctor and Zara by the arms and pulling them away. "Not so clever now, Doctor, Zara. A shame we couldn't work together. You're rather good. All that banter yet not a word wasted. Time for me to retire. The Titanic is falling. The sky will burn. Let the Christmas inferno commence. Oh! Oh, Host! Kill them."

The Hosts held them with one hand, taking of their halos with another.

"Mr Capricorn!" Astrid shouted, The Doctor and Zara looking over to find her sitting in a forklift. "I resign." She started the forklift, driving towards Capricorn.

"Astrid, don't!" The Doctor shouted, watching as Astrid lifted the front of Capricorn's life support, the tires on it forcing it to stay half grounded, a halo from a Host flying her way, hitting the break line.

"He's cut the break line!" Zara breathed. Astrid looked over at The Doctor and Zara, sharing a meaningful look with them before looking back to Capricorn, raising the fork lift higher and lifting him off the ground and driving off the edge.

"Astrid!" The Doctor cried, running to the edge, looking down to see Astrid falling towards the engines, hands reaching up for him as Zara slumped to the floor, tears rolling down her eyes.

...

The Doctor and Zara walked away from the sparks and fires, hand in hand before stopping. The Doctor let go of her hand and she wrapped an arm around his waist as he held out his arms, snapping his fingers. The Hosts appeared, grabbing his arms and flying upwards, raising their arms before breaking through the floor of the bridge, causing Frame to shout out.

"Deadlock broken." The computer announced.

The Doctor climbed through, pulling Zara up with him, "Ah, Midshipman Frame at last!"

"Uh, but-but the Host!" Frame stammered, nodding at the host.

"Controller dead they divert to the next highest authority and that's me."

"There's nothing we can do. There's no power. The ship's gonna fall."

The Doctor shook his head, taking the wheel, "What's your first name?"

"Alonzo."

The Doctor looked at him, surprised, "You're kidding me."

"What?" Frame frowned.

"That's something else I've always wanted to say. Allons-y Alonzo! Whoa!"

The ship lurched dramatically as The Doctor tried to steer, Zara clutching on to his arm. They fell straight towards Earth's atmosphere, Frame screaming as The Doctor fought the wheel.

An alarm sounded and The Doctor used his foot to look, the computer showing the impact zone.

"Ah." He sighed, grabbing the phone, holding it to his ear. "Hello, yes, um...could you get me Buckingham Palace? Listen to me! Security Code 771! Now get out of there!

"Engine active. Engine active." The computer announced.

The Doctor pulled back on the wheel, sending Frame and Zara back against the wall. The Doctor strained, pulling on the wheel, narrowly missing Buckingham Palace. He gasped, breathing heavily, glancing back at Zara as she winced at the pain of the now severely cut scar on her stoumach. He turned back to the wheel, laughing slightly as he steered the ship safely.

Frame grabbed the bell, ringing it, "Whoo-hoo!" He cheered.

"Whoo-hoo-hoo!" The Doctor laughed.

Frame sat down next to Zara with a sigh, The Doctor joining them.

"Used the heat of re-entry to fire up the secondary storm drive." Zara explained, smiling at The Doctor. "Unsinkable, that's him."

"We made it." Frame smiled.

"Not all of us." She paused, her eyes widening. "Teleport!" She scrambled to her feet. "She was wearing a teleport bracelet!" She shouted, rushing out of the room.

...

"Rickston!" Zara shouted, running into reception. "Sonic!" He threw it to her and she turned to Mr Copper. "Mr Copper, the teleports, have they got emergency settings?"

"I don't know." Mr Copper frowned. "They should have."

"She fell, Mr Copper. She fell. What's the emergency code?"

"Uh, let me see..."

"What the hell are you doing?" Frame asked, running in with The Doctor.

"We can bring her back." Zara explained, leaning down to the booth and using the sonic on it.

"If a passenger has an accident on shore leave and they're still wearing their teleport, their molecules are automatically suspended and held in stasis so that we can just trigger the shift." Mr Copper quickly said.

Zara finished up, "There!" She stood up and turned around, looking to see a glowing and transparent Astrid.

"I'm falling." Astrid gasped.

"Only halfway there. Come on." She turned back to the wires of the teleport.

"I keep falling."

"Feed back the molecule grid, boost it with the restoration matrix." The teleport sparked. "No, no, no, no! Need more phase containment."

"Zara-" Mr Copper called softly.

"No! If I can just link up the surface suspension..."

"Zara, she's gone."

"I just need to override the safety. I can do it."

"Zara, let her go."

Zara looked back at Astrid before kicking the teleport in frustration, "I can do anything!" She sobbed as The Doctor made his way over to her. "If I can take The Master's life, why can't I give Astrid's back."

"Stop me falling." Astrid begged.

"There's not enough left." Mr Copper said sadly. "The system was too badly damaged. She's just atoms, Zara. An echo with the ghost of consciousness. She's stardust."

"Astrid Peth...citizen of Sto...the woman who looked at the stars and dreamt of travelling." The Doctor said sadly, taking the sonic from Zara's hand, pulling her into a hug. "Now you can travel forever." He opened a window behind Astrid's ghost with the sonic, the ghost turning into light. "You're not falling, Astrid, you're flying." The light slowly flew out of the window, leaving The Doctor, Zara, Rickston, Mr Copper and Frame watching.

...

Frame approached the small group as they sat in the wrecked reception.

"The engines have stabilized." He said. "We're holding steady till we get help and I've sent the SOS. A rescue ship should be here within twenty minutes. And they're digging out the records of Max Capricorn. It should be quite a story."

"They'll want to talk to all of us, I suppose." Copper sighed.

"I'd have thought so, yeah."

Mr Copper wandered over to The Doctor, who stood with his arms around Zara, the two of them staring straight ahead.

"I think, uh, one or two inconvenient truths might come to light." Mr Copper sighed. "Still, it's my own fault, and then years in jail is better than dying."

Rickston moved over to them, "Zara...Doctor...I never said...thank you." He hugged the two of them. "The funny thing is...I said Max Capricorn was falling apart. Just before the crash, I ...sold all my shares, transferred them to his rivals. It's made me rich. What do you think of that?" The Doctor and Zara stared at him, unable to say anything when Rickston's vone rang. "Salvain? Those shares, I want them triple-bonded and locked." He turned and walked away.

"Of all the people to survive, he's not the one you would have chosen, is he?" Mr Copper sighed. "But if you could choose, Doctor, Zara, if you decide who lives and who dies... that would make you a monster." Zara shut her eyes tightly, tears pouring out.

The Doctor sighed, "Mr Copper..." He turned and took three teleport bracelets. "I think you deserve one of these." He handed one to Zara and another to Mr Copper before saluting to Frame, the three of them teleporting off.

...

The three of them made their way along a field, snow falling, towards The TARDIS.

"So, Great Britain is part of, uh, "Europee" and just across the British Channel you've got Great France and Great Germany." Mr Copper frowned.

"No, no, it's just-it's just France and Germany." The Doctor explained. "Only Britain is great."

"Oh, and they're all at war with the continent of Ham-erica?"

"No, well...not yet, uh...could argue that one." They stopped outside The TARDIS. "There she is." He patted the side of The TARDIS. "Survive anything."

"You know, between you and me, I don't even thing this snow is real. I think this is the ballast from the Titanic's salvage entering the atmosphere."

"Yeah." Zara muttered. "One of these days it might snow for real."

"So, I-I suppose you'll be off."

"The open sky."

"What-what am I supposed to do?"

"Give me that credit card."

Mr Copper took out the credit card, "Well, it's just petty cash, spending money. It's all done by computer. I-I didn't really know the currency so I thought a million might cover it."

"A million? Pounds?"

"That enough for trinkets?"

Zara eyed the man, exhausted, "Mr Copper, a million pounds is worth 50 million credits." She muttered.

His eyes widened, "How much?"

She thought for a moment, "50 million and 56."

"I-I've got money!"

"Yes, you have." The Doctor laughed as Mr Copper stared at the card.

"Oh my word. Oh my vot! Oh my goodness me! I - Ya-ha!"

"It's all yours-Planet Earth. Now that's a retirement plan. But just you be careful, though."

"I will. I will. Oh, I will."

"No interfering. I don't want any trouble. Just...just have a nice life."

"But I can have a house, a proper house, with a garden, and-and a door, and...Oh, Doctor, Zara, I will made you proud." He hugged the both of them. "And-and I can have a kitchen with chairs, and windows, and lace..." He began to skip off, laughing.

The Doctor looked back at him as Zara unlocked The TARDIS, "Um, where are you going?"

Mr Copper chuckled, "Why, I have no idea!"

"No, us neither." Zara sighed, unlocking the door.

"But, Doctor, Zara...I won't forget her."

The Doctor nodded at the man as he laughed again, skipping down the field. He glanced up at the sky, watching a blue streak of zigzag light before glancing next to him to find Zara gone. On the floor, against the door of The TARDIS, layed Zara, curled up in a ball, her head against the door, silently crying.

"I'm so sorry." She sobbed. The Doctor shook his head, kneeling down and pulling her into a hug. "Oh god, what have I done..."


	3. Sarah and Zara

"Where are we?"

The Doctor looked over at Zara, who had been dragged inside The TARDIS from the snow and sat on the step of the staircase, as she stared at him tearfully. He pulled a lever on the console, The TARDIS landing with a quiet thump. He moved over to Zara, taking her hand and pulling her towards the door. He opened the door and Zara stepped out, finding herself in a street in the very early morning. The Doctor took her hand, walking towards a large driveway, past a little green car and up to a front door.

"Doctor." Zara whispered. "Where are we?" The Doctor raised his hand, knocking on the door. After a moment, the door opened and there stood Sarah Jane Smith, dressed in pyjamas and a dressing gown, looking surprised for a moment, before noticing The Doctor's heartbroken expression.

"What is it?" She asked.

Zara stared at her, stunned, "You're Sarah Jane Smith." She whispered as The Doctor put his arm around her waist, placing a kiss to her head.

...

"What are you doing here, Doctor?" Sarah Jane asked, her back to The Doctor and Zara as they sat at the table as she made tea. "I've been busy enough. I got woken up by UNIT about the Titanic flying in the air." She looked over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow at him. "But then Buckingham Palace rung me, saying that you had sorted it. Nice work there." She turned back to the tea.

"I... just wanted you to meet Zara." The Doctor shrugged.

Sarah Jane looked back, sharing a look with him. She glanced at Zara, who was staring into space, not concentrating on what was happening, and nodded at The Doctor, who was watching her with a loving but concerned stare. She realised her oldest friend needed her to help someone important in his life. And so she would.

...

Sarah Jane stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up as she listened to The Doctor head into the attic.

"Don't break anything, Theta!" She called before stepping back into the living room where Zara sat, wrapped in a blanket and holding a cup of tea, sitting on the sofa. She laughed to herself, sitting down opposite Zara.

"Who's Theta?" Zara frowned.

Sarah Jane stared at her, "Oh you don't know?" She asked. "That was The Doctor's nickname on Gallifrey. It's not his real name, but it's what they used to call him... Sorry-"

Zara smiled, "It makes sense." She laughed. "I've heard all about you, no companion has ever been closer to him than you." She sighed happily.

Sarah Jane watched her for a moment, "So what happened?"

"How did you know-"

"The Doctor would only turn up on my doorstep for me to talk to you if something happened."

"The Master came back."

Sarah Jane nodded nervously, "I worked it out." She mumbled. "Harold Saxon and... I know him quite well, The Master."

"It's ok, it's fine..." She looked up at Sarah Janes, her voice cracking. "I murdered him." Tears sprung in her eyes. "Harold Saxon's wife, Lucy Saxon... there was a paradox, a year went by and it reversed. They had a baby, and..." Sarah Jane stared at her, working it out. "And I shot him." She sobbed. "I murdered my own father and my mother took the blame, she forced it, didn't even let me..." She gasped, tears pouring down her face. "Then our best friend left, and I found out the man who raised me was actually Captain Jack Harkness and..." Sarah Jane reached out, squeezing her hand. "I murdered his best friend... well, if that's the word for him but... You know what the relationship between The Doctor and The Master is like and I'm a paradox, but... why is The Doctor putting up with me?!"

Sarah Jane looked at her carefully, "I know that man probably better than anyone... and if I had to guess... I'd have to say that he's in love with you."

Zara snorted, "No way." She raised an eyebrow at her. "He's The Doctor, and it's me... we have a complicated relationship as it is."

Sarah Jane glanced at Zara's hand, smiling at the ring on her finger, "That's pretty." Zara nodded as Sarah Jane held her hand out, showing her the same ring on her finger. "The rings come from Gallifrey. He doesn't have many. And... he gives them to people he cares about."

Zara shook her head, "The friendship you had with him though. You're Sarah Jane Smith! As companions of The Doctor go, nobody compares to you!"

Sarah Jane beamed, "You're clearly important to him." She shrugged.

The Doctor appeared in the doorway, holding a silver plate the size of a coaster, clearly made of alien metals, flashing different colours.

"Now," He began nervously. "I will sort this out!" He turned nad ran out of the house, slamming the front door behind him.

Sarah Jane rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, we've got 24 hours before anything happens." She laughed. "I'll go sort it out later." She and Zara looked up as they listened to footsteps come from above and down the stairs before a young boy with brown hair appeared in the doorway. He frowned at Sarah Jane tiredly, wearing a pair of pyjamas, his hair mussed up.

"Mum." He sighed. "Why is there a man running round the house critizing Mr Smith and knocking things over?" He looked over at Zara blearily. "Oh, hello."

Sarah Jane smiled, "Zara, this is my son, Luke."

Zara beamed at him, "Hi."

Luke smiled, "Merry Christmas."

Zara's eyes widened and she straightened up in her seat, "Oh god!" She noticed the christmas tree in the corner. "I forgot it was Christmas! I was too busy stopping a spaceship landing on the Earth."

"It's fine." Sarah Jane smiled.

...

Hours later, after a lot of talking and no return of The Doctor, Sarah Jane and Zara returned to the TARDIS.

"Doctor?" Sarah Jane called as she and Zara stepped into The TARDIS. The Doctor's head popped out from under the grilling, oil of his cheek, holding the metal plate in his hand, it still flashing different colours. "Don't hook it up to The TARDIS!"

"I know what I'm doing!" The Doctor defended as she walked towards him. "If I just hook it up and rewire it, take out the hydrofusion particles and-" Sarah Jane stopped next to him, snatching it from him and pressing a small button on the bottom of it, making it power down and The Doctor stare at it, a little miffed. "Oh." He pouted.

Zara smiled, shaking her head at him.

"Anyway." He smiled, pulling himself up out of under the grating. "We'd better get going."

"Not gonna stay for Christmas dinner?"

Zara shook her head, making her way up to the console and pulling a lever, "Better not." She smiled. "We've got places to go, people to see."

Sarah Jane nodded, "Come for dinner one day then?"

"We will." The Doctor smiled, hugging her. "Goodbye, my Sarah Jane."

She pulled back with a grin, "Goodbye, my Doctor." She laughed, moving over and hugging Zara. "Seeya later, you little paradox." She whispered, giving the two of them a smile before stepping out of The TARDIS.


	4. Partners In Crime

The Doctor leant against the console, waiting. Zara had disappeared into The TARDIS corridors over an hour ago, announcing that she needed a well deserved bubble bath. He'd smiled at that. She'd become very quite and distant since Christmas. Everything that had happened with The Master and on the Titanic had really taken its toll on her, and the effect Astrid had on her and The Doctor made them realise they couldn't bare having anyone else around The TARDIS than Martha. So they'd spent a lot of time alone, a good few months floating in the vortex and having a few trips to alien planets and one to see Winston Churchill, just healing.

"You alright there?" Zara asked softly. The Doctor looked up, seeing Zara appearing at the top of the staircase, wearing her usual attire.

The Doctor smiled at her, "Yep." He held out a hand to her, "Now, are you sure this Adipose Industries is worth looking into?"

Zara shook her head, walking down the stairs and taking his hand, reaching over and pulling a lever on the console.

...

The Doctor and Zara made their way down a crowded street before stopping, glancing up at the big building that was Adipose Industries.

...

The Doctor opened the fire exit with the sonic screwdriver and he and Zara stepped into the building. They walked down a deserted corridor, The Doctor flashing the psychic paper to a passing security guard.

"John Smith, Zara Saxon, Health and Safety." He muttered.

...

The Doctor and Zara peered over the projector, watching the projection being shown in the seminar room, about three dozen people watching below in the seats.

"Adipose Industries." The computerized voice on the projection reported. "The Adipose capsule is composed of a synthesised mobilising lipase, bound to a large protein molecule. The mobilising lipase breaks up the trigycerides stored in the adipose cells, which then enter..."

Zara reached into The Doctor's pocket, not bothering to take her gaze away from the projection, and took out the psychic paper, flashing it to the man who had appeared in the room.

"Health and Safety." She said quietly. "Film department."

"100 percent legal, 100 percent effective." Miss Foster, the head of Adipose Industries, explained as she stood on the stage.

"But, can I just ask, how many people have taken the pills to date?" Penny, a reporter for the Observer, asked.

"We've already got one million customers within the Greater London area alone. But from next week, we start rolling out nationwide. The future starts here. And Britain will be thin."

...

In the call center, the phones repeatedly rang, The Doctor and Zara making their way over to an employee, Clare.

"John Smith, Zara Saxon, Health and Safety." The Doctor whispered as the two of them sat down in front of her. "Don't mind us."

Clare nodded to them, returning to the phone call on her headset, "It is made of 18 carat gold, and it's yours for free." She smiled. "No, we don't give away pens, sorry. No, I can't make an exception, no."

"Could you print us off a list of your clients?" Zara asked, eyeing the pendant The Doctor held in his hand. "Where's the printer?" She asked as he stuffed the pendant into his pocket.

"Over there." Clare nodded in the distance.

The Doctor stood up, looking over at the printer, "That's the printer there?" He asked.

"By the plant, yeah."

"Brilliant." He sat back down before realising something, standing back up. "Has it got paper?"

"Yeah, Jimbo keeps it stocked." Clare said as Miss Foster walked in, two bodyguards at her side.

"Excuse me, everyone, if I could have your attention." Miss Foster called. All of the staff stood up, The Doctor and Zara peering over the desk divider to watch. "On average, you're each selling forty Adipose packs per day. It's not enough. I want one hundred sales per person per day. And if not, you'll be replaced. Cos if anyone is good in trimming the fat, it's me." The Doctor reached round, putting his arm around Zara's waist, rubbing his thumb against where he knew the scar was. "Now. Back to it." She turned and left as Zara sighed, The Doctor removing his arm from around her.

"Anyway, if you could print that off." The Doctor smiled, sitting down on the chair again. "Thanks." Clare nodded, pressing a button the print off the list. "Thanks, then." He moved to stand up when she handed out a piece of paper to him. "Oh, what's that?"

"My telephone number." Clare smirked as Zara raised her eyebrows at the woman.

The Doctor frowned, "What for?" He asked, confused.

"Health and Safety." Clare smirked even more. "You be health, I'll be safety."

"Aah. Aah." He stammered. "But. That contravenes ah, paragraph five, subsection C. Sorry." He got up, following Zara, who had stormed towards the printer, only to find list. He winced, not noticing Zara glare into space unemotionally, moving back over to Clare, laughing nervously. "Me again."

...

The Doctor and Zara stood outside the house, the door eventually being opened by a middle aged man.

"Mr Roger Davey," The Doctor smiled. "We're calling on behalf of Adipose Industries," He flashed him the psychic paper. "Just need to ask you a few questions."

...

"I've been on the pills two weeks now," Roger explained, sitting in his arm chair as The Doctor and Zara sat opposite him. "I've lost fourteen kilos."

"That's the same amount every day?" The Doctor asked.

Roger nodded, "One kilo exactly. You wake up, and it's disappeared overnight. Well, technically speaking, it's gone by ten past one in the morning."

"What makes you say that?"

"That's when I get woken up. Might as well weigh myself at the same time." The Doctor and Zara shared suspicious look. "It is driving me mad."

...

The three of them looked up at the burglar alarm on the front of the house.

"Ten minutes past one, every night, bang on the dot without fail, the burglar alarm goes off." Roger sighed. "I've had experts in, I've had it replaced, I've even phoned Watchdog. But no, ten past one in the morning, off it goes."

"But with no burglars?" The Doctor asked.

"Nothing. I've given up looking."

The Doctor looked at Zara, who was looking at the burglar alarm, biting her lip.

"Tell me Roger," Zara said after a moment. "Have you got a cat flap?"

...

"It was there when I bought the house." Roger shrugged, the three of them laying on the floor, peering through the cat flap. "Never bothered with it. I'm not a cat person."

"No, I've met cat people." The Doctor muttered.

"The woman who raised me was one." Zara mumbled to herself before smiling at Roger. "You are nothing like them."

"It's that what it is then?" Roger asked. "Cats getting inside the house?"

"Well, thing about cat flaps is that they don't just let things in," The Doctor muttered, holding the flap open with the sonic. "They let things out as well."

"Like what?"

"The fat just walks away." Zara quoted mockingly.

...

"Well, thanks for your help." The Doctor smiled to Roger as he and Zara left the house, Zara concentrating on the device in her hand. " "Tell you what, maybe you could lay off the pills for a week or so." The device beeped and Zara sprinted off without a seconds thought. "Ooh, gotta go, sorry." He smiled before running off after her.

...

The Doctor ran after along a street, Zara holding up the device in front of her. She stopped suddenly, The Doctor catching up with her, and banged on the device and blew on it and held it in front of her before running off, The Doctor following her. He stops, looks at the device, bangs it, blows on it, then holds it out in front of him again and runs off. They ran onto another street, stopping again. Zara waved the device around, trying to find a signal before it dinged and they ran off again before a van drove past them as they ran out into the street. The van honked at them, driving past them, making the device dinged. Their eyes widened and they started running after it but it turned a corner, disappearing. Zara held up the device, the two of them looking at it, disappointed. The Doctor shook his head, taking Zara's hand and leading her off.

...

The Doctor leaned over the console, looking at the golden Adipose Industries pendant through a magnifying glass.

"Ohh, fascinating." He smiled. "Seems to be a bio-flip digital stitch, specifically for..." He looked up to find the console room empty. He straightened up, looking around sadly. Martha was gone... his best friend had left. Zara appeared at the top of the stairs, dressed in a pair of over sized blue pyjamas, hands inside the sleeves. He looked at her, a warmth filling his stoumach. He'd lost Martha, but he still had her. One half of the dream team.

...

The Doctor and Zara ran around the console, pulling at the controls. Zara grabbed hold of the laser screwdriver, that still sat on the console since she left it there after offering the Fifth Doctor to use it, and slipped it into her blazer pocket before The Doctor could see.

...

The TARDIS materialized in an alleyway a few meters behind a blue car, The Doctor and Zara stepping out.

...

The Doctor soniced the fire exit door, him and Zara going inside.

...

The two of them walked along a deserted corridor.

"Here we go." Zara laughed, pulling The Doctor over to a storage cupboard.

"In a cupboard?" The Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She rolled her eyes, "What? Worried I'm gonna jump you?" She winked at him, pulling open the door and stepping into the cupboard.

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, "Oh I wish." He muttered to himself, following in after her.

...

As it reached 6:10, The Doctor soniced open the door, stepping out and pulling Zara with him.

...

The Doctor and Zara climbed into the window cleaner's cradle, making it slowly go down the side of the building.

...

The cradle stopped outside Miss Foster's office, The Doctor and Zara kneeling down, sharing a stethoscope to hear the conversation inside.

"This is ridiculous." Penny snapped, being dragged into the office by two body guards.

"Sit there." Miss Foster ordered, nodding to the chair in front of her desk.

"I'm phoning my editor."

"I said sit."

The body guards pushed her into a chair, tying her to it as Miss Foster moved round to the other side of her desk.

"You can't tie me up." She argued. "What sort of a country do you think this is?"

"Oh, it's a beautifully fat country. And believe me, I've travelled a long way to find obesity on this scale."

"So come on then, Miss Foster, those pills. What are they?"

"Well, you might just as well have a scoop, since you'll never see it printed. This," She lifted up a capsule. "Is the spark of life."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Officially, the capsule attracts all the fat cells and flushes them away. Well, it certainly attracts them, that part's true. But it binds the fat together and galvanises it to form a body."

Penny frowned, "Well, what d'you mean 'a body'?"

"I am surprised you never asked about my name. I chose it well. Foster, as in foster mother. And these," She reached into one of her draws, pulling out a blob of fat with a face, an Adipose, and put it on the desk. "Are my children."

"You're kidding me." Penny gasped. "What the hell is that?"

The Doctor and Zara slowly rose, looking through the window.

"Adipose. It's called an Adipose." Miss Foster smiled. "Made out of living fat. Stripped from ordinary human..."

Zara looked over at the door to see a ginger woman, Donna Noble, peering through the window in the office door.

"Who the hell is that?" Zara hissed.

The Doctor followed her gaze, Donna looking over at the same time. The two looked at each other, stunned by surprise.

"Donna?" The Doctor mouthed.

"DOCTOR!" Donna mouthed back.

"But... what? Wha... What?!"

"Hang on is that woman who ended up in The TARDIS?" Zara whispered, The Doctor having briefly told her the story of the runaway bride.

"OH MY GOD!" Donna mouthed.

"But... how?" The Doctor mouthed back.

"It's me!"

"Well, I can see that!"

"Oh this is brilliant!" She looked at Zara. "Who is that?"

"Zara." He mouthed. "But what are you doing there?"

"I was looking for you!"

"What for?!"

"I, came here," She began to mime everything. "Trouble, read about it, internet, I thought, trouble = you! And this place is weird! Pills! So I hid. Back there. Crept along. Heard this lot. Looked. You! Cos they..." She gestured and looked over at Miss Foster, the three of them freezing as Miss Foster stared at them.

"Are we interrupting you?" Miss Foster asked.

"Run!" The Doctor mouthed.

"Get her!" Miss Foster ordered, pointing after Donna. The Doctor soniced the door through the window before using it to pull the cradle up.

...

The Doctor ran up to the building, pulling Zara with him.

...

The two of them ran down the stairs, Donna throwing herself into The Doctor's arms as they met.

"Oh my God!" She gasped, hugging him. "I don't believe it! You've even got the same suit!" She pulled back, looking at him. "Dont you ever change?"

"Yeah thanks Donna, not right now." The Doctor said.

Zara peered over the staircase to see the guards coming up.

"Time we left." Zara called, turning back to Donna. "Zara Saxon." She beamed. "Delight to meet you."

The Doctor smiled at Donna, taking Zara's hand, "Just like old times!" He took Donna's hand, the three of them running upstairs.

...

"Cos I thought, how do I find the Doctor?" Donna asked excitedly, the three of them running onto the roof, talking as The Doctor and Zara working on the cradle busily. "And then I just thought, look for trouble and then he'll turn up! So I looked everywhere, you name it - UFOs, sightings, crop circles, sea monsters. I looked, I found them all. Now there's something about the bees disappearing, I thought, he's connected. Cos the thing is, Doctor, I believe it all now. You opened my eyes. All those amazing things out there, I believe them all. Well, apart from that replica of the Titanic flying over Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day, I mean that's gotta be a hoax!"

Zara frowned, looking back at the woman, "What do you mean, the bees are disappearing?"

"I don't know. That's what it says on the internet." The Doctor climbed into the cradle, pulling Zara in with him. "Well on the same site, there was all the conspiracy theories about Adipose Industries, I thought let's take a look!"

"In you get!" The Doctor called.

Donna eyed the cradle, "Well in that thing?"

"Yes in that thing!"

"But if we go down in that, they'll just call us back up again."

"No no no, cos I've locked the controls with a sonic cage." Zara explained. "We're the only ones who can control it. Not unless she's got a sonic device of her own. Which is very unlikely."

The Doctor beamed at her, "Genius." He laughed.

Zara rolled her eyes at him, "Idiot." She smiled as Donna watched them.

...

The cradle made its way down the side of the building before it suddenly sped up violently. The Doctor pulled out his sonic, using it to stop the cradle and sending the three of them to the floor.

"Hold on." The Doctor muttered as they scrambled to their feet, attempting to get in the window. "Hold on, we can get in through the window." He yanked it harder. "Can't get it open!"

Donna picked up a spanner from the floor of the cradle, "Well smash it then!" She bashed it against the window, the glass not smashing. Donna glanced up to find the cable start to sparkle and smoke. "She's cutting the cable!"

The cable snapped, The Doctor grabbing hold of the inside of the cradle with one hand, grabbing hold of Zara to stop her falling with the other. Donna tumbled out, grabbing hold of the broken cable, clutching on in mid air.

"DONNA!" The Doctor and Zara shouted.

"Doctor!"

"Hold on!"

"I AM!" The Doctor reached over, trying to pull her up by the cable but failing. "Doctor!"

Zara snatched the sonic from The Doctor, looking up and using the sonic on Miss Foster's hand as she tried to cut the other end of the cable. The pen sparkled, making her drop it. The Doctor caught it, climbing up the cable to another window and climbing through, reaching and pulling Zara through.

...

In Miss Foster's office, Donna's feet swung in front of the windows.

"What the hell is going on?" Penny gasped, still tied to the chair.

"This is all your fault." Donna shouted. "I should've stayed at home!"

"I won't be a minute!" The Doctor shouted from above, before running downstairs and into Miss Foster's office with Zara. He ran over to the window, opening it up.

"Is anyone gonna tell me what's going on?" Penny demanded.

"What, you're a journalist?" Zara asked.

"Yes."

"Well, make it up!"

The Doctor grabbed hold of Donna's legs, trying to pull her in.

"Get off!" Donna shouted.

"I've got you!" The Doctor reassured her. "I've got you. Stop kicking!" He managed to yank her in.

"I was right." She gasped, straightening herself out. "It's always like this with you, innit?"

"OH YES!" He grinned. "And off we go!"

The three of them grinned at each other, running out.

"OI!" Penny shouted.

The Doctor and Zara looked back round the door.

"Sorry!" Zara apologized, pulling out the laser screwdriver and shooting it at the rope, cutting it. The Doctor's eyes widened, staring at it. "Now do yourself a favour, get out." She looked up at The Doctor. "I thought it might come in handy." She shrugged. The Doctor glared at her and she rolled her eyes, pocketing the screwdriver.

...

The three of them ran across the empty call centre, meeting Miss Foster and the guards.

"Well then," Miss Foster remarked, taking off her glasses. "At last."

"Hello." Donna nodded breathlessly.

"Nice to meet you, I'm the Doctor." He nodded to Zara. "This is Zara Saxon."

"And I'm Donna."

"Partners in crime." Miss Foster nodded. "And evidently off-worlders, judging by your sonic technology."

"Oh yes, I've still got your sonic pen." The Doctor said, taking out the sonic pen. "Nice, I like it. Sleek, it's kinda sleek." He handed it out to Donna and Zara.

"Oh it's definitely sleek." Donna agreed.

"Yeah," Zara nodded. "And if you were to sign your real name that would be...?"

"Matron Cofelia of the Five-Straighten Classabindi Nursery Fleet." Miss Foster replied. "Intergalactic Class."

"A wet nurse... using humans as surrogates."

"I've been employed by the Adiposian First Family to foster a new generation after their breeding planet was lost."

"What do you mean lost?" The Doctor frowned. "How do you lose a planet?"

"Oh, politics are none of my concern. I'm just here to take care of the children on behalf of the parents."

"What, like an outer space super-nanny?" Donna asked.

"Yes, if you like."

"So... so those little things they're, they're made out of fat yeah, but that woman, Stacy Campbell, there was nothing left of her."

"Oh, in a crisis the Adipose can convert bone and hair and internal organs. Makes them a little bit sick, poor things."

Donna's eyes widened, "What about poor Stacy?" She gasped.

Zara narrowed her eyes at the woman, "Seeding a level 5 planet is against galactic law." She said quietly.

Miss Foster raised her eyebrows at her, "Are you threatening me?" She asked.

"She's trying to help you, Matron." The Doctor warned. "This is your one chance; cos if you don't call this off, then she'll have to stop you... Not me, her." He looked at Zara. "She's dangerous." Donna glanced at Zara, slightly on edge at the violent look Zara gave Miss Foster.

Miss Foster smirked, "I hardly think you can stop bullets."

The bodyguards aimed at them, setting The Doctor and Donna on edge and making Zara raise an eyebrow at her.,

"No, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, one more thing, before... dying. Do you know what happens if you hold two identical sonic devices against each other?"

"No."

"Nor me, lets find out!"

The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver and sonic pen together, causing a awful screeching noise. Miss Foster and her guards squirmed in agony, shattering a pain of glass. Donna pushed The Doctor, making it stop.

"Come on!" She shouted, pulling the two of them off.

...

The three of them ran along the deserted corridor, stopping outside the storage cupboard. The Doctor opened the door, throwing supplies out.

"Well, that's one solution." Donna nodded. "Hide in a cupboard. I like it."

The three of them stepped into the cupboard and The Doctor opened the back wall, revealing a big green machine built into the wall.

"Hacking in to this thing, cos the matron's got a computer core running through the center of the building." Zara explained. "Triple deadlocked."

"And now we've got this," The Doctor held up the sonic pen. "We can get into it." He looked the machine up and down. "She's wired up the whole building. We need a bit of privacy." He picked up two sparing plugs, holding them together and stunning the guards running down the hallway. "Just enough to stop them. Why's she wired up the tower block? What's it all for?"

The Doctor and Zara began to fiddle with the wires, "Inducer online." The computer announced.

"You look older." Donna commented, watching The Doctor carefully.

"Thanks." The Doctor muttered.

"Nice to see you're not on your own."

The Doctor smiled, looking at Zara out of the corner of his eye, "Well, yup. But, uh, she's not like a friend like I usually have with me, uh... Cause she's a Time Lady."

"I'm human." Zara corrected. "But, we had this friend, we were both The Doctor's companions. Martha she was called. Martha Jones."

"She was brilliant..." The Doctor nodded in agreement. "And I destroyed half her life."

"It was both our fault-"

"But she's fine. She's good. She's gone."

"What about Rose?"

"Still lost." He muttered, pausing for a moment. "I thought you were going to travel the world?"

"Easier said then done." Donna sighed. "It's like I had that one day with you and I was gonna change. I was gonna do so much. Then I woke up next morning, same old life. It's like you were never there. And I tried. I did try, I went to Egypt. I was gonna go barefoot and everything. And then it's all bus trips and guidebooks and don't drink the water and two weeks later you're back home. It's nothing like being with you. I must have been mad turning down that offer."

The Doctor frowned, "What offer?"

"To come with you."

"You'd come with me? Well, us?"

"Oh yes, please!"

Zara looked up at her, "Right." The Doctor muttered, turning back to the computer.

"Inducer activated." The computer reported.

"What's it doing now?" Donna asked.

"She's started the program." The Doctor breathed.

"Inducer transmitting." The computer announced.

"So far they're just losing weight, but the Matron has gone up to emergency pathogenesis." Zara explained quickly.

"That's when they convert..." Donna realised.

"Skeletons, organs, everything. A million people are gonna die!"

The Doctor reached into his pocket, "Gotta cancel the signal!" He said, pulling out the golden capsule and pulling it in half to reveal a chip inside. "This contains the primary signal. If we can switch it off the fat goes back to being just fat." He hooked the capsule up to the machine.

"Inducer increasing." The computer announced.

"No no no no no, she's doubled it, we need... Haven't got time! It's too far, we can't override it! They're all gonna die!"

"Is there anything I can do?" Donna asked.

"Sorry, Donna, this is way beyond you!" Zara panicked. "Gotta double the base pulse, we can't..."

"Doctor, Zara, tell me what do you need." Donna said sternly.

"We need a second capsule to boost the override, but we've only got the one." The Doctor gulped. "We can't save them!" The two of them fiddled with the switches when Zara and The Doctor looked round to see Donna holding up the pendant to them. The three of them burst out laughing Zara took the pendant, attaching it to the machine and making the green lights go off. The Doctor breathed in relief, pulling Zara into a hug. "Oh, you little genius." He whispered into her neck, pulling her closely.

Donna smiled at the two of them when a loud horn filled the air, "What the hell was that?" She asked.

"It's the nursery..." Zara muttered, pulling out of the hug and looking at the computer.

"Fine. When you say nursery you don't mean a creche in Notting Hill."

"Nursery ship."

"Incoming signal." The computer announced, lighting up again and beginning to talk in an alien language.

"Hadn't we better go and stop them?" Donna asked.

"Hang on," Zara mumbled, her and The Doctor fixated on the computer. "Instructions from the Adiposian First Family. She's wired up the tower block to convert it into a levitation post." They frowned, listening to the instructions. "Oh. Ooh."

"We're not the ones in trouble now." The Doctor muttered. "SHE is!"

...

The Doctor, Zara and Donna reached the roof, watching the Adipose babies flying up into the nursery ship.

"What you gonna do then?" Donna asked. "Blow them up?"

"They're just children. They can't help where they come from." The Doctor replied.

"Oh, that makes a change from last time. That Martha must've done you good."

"Ah, she did, yeah." The Doctor shared a smile with Zara. "Yeah, she did. She taught me a lot." They looked back up at the Adipose.

An Adipose waved at them and they waved back.

"I'm waving at fat." Donna remarked.

"Actually, as a diet plan, it sort of works." Miss Foster floated into view. !There she is!

They ran to the edge, Miss Foster now at the same height as them.

"Matron Cofelia, listen to us!" Zara called.

"Oh, I don't think so, Doctor, Zara." Miss Foster replied. "And if I never see you both again, it will be too soon."

"Oh, why does no one ever listen?" The Doctor groaned. "We're trying to help! Just get across to the roof. Can you shift the levitation beam?"

"What, so that you can arrest me?"

"Just listen." Zara begged. "We saw the Adiposian instructions - they know it's a crime, breeding on Earth. So what's the one thing they want to get rid of? Their accomplice!"

"I'm far more than that. I'm nanny to all these children."

"Exactly!" The Doctor exclaimed, watching the last of the Adipose reach the ship, leaving Miss Foster alone in the air. "Mum and Dad have got the kids now, they don't need the nanny anymore!" Suddenly, the blue light vanished. Miss Foster looks downed before falling with a scream. Donna hid her face to the Doctor's shoulder as Zara winced, looking away before the three looked up to see the Adipose waving goodbye as the ship flew away.

...

The Doctor threw the sonic pen into the outside bin with a sigh, ignoring the several sirens in the distance.

"Oi, you three!" Penny shouted. The three of them turned back to see Penny, still tied to the chair, stumbling out of the building. "You're just mad. Do you hear me? Mad! And I'm gonna report you... for madness!" She ran off, the three of them watching them.

"You see, some people just can't take it." Donna sighed.

"No."

"But some people can. So, then - TARDIS! Come on!" She grabbed their hand and pulled them off, stunning The Doctor and making Zara laugh.

...

The three of them walked into the alley, towards the TARDIS as Donna gasped at the blue car they parked by.

"That's my car!" She gasped. "That is like destiny! And I've been ready for this." She opened the boot, full of suitcases. "I packed ages ago, just in case. Cos I thought, hot weather, cold weather, no weather..." She began to load her luggage into The Doctor's arms. "...he goes anywhere, I've gotta be prepared." She thew a striped hatbox into The Doctor's arms.

"I love your hatbox." Zara beamed.

"Planet of the Hats, I'm ready!"

...

The Doctor stood in front of the TARDIS surrounded by suitcases, looking serious. Zara leaned against the doors next to him as Donna babbled.

"Do I need injections though, do I?" She asked. "Like when you go to Cambodia, is there any of that? Cos my friend Veena went to Bahrain, and..." She looked over at The Doctor, noticing his facial expression. "You're not saying much."

"No, it's just..." He sighed. "It's a funny old life, in the TARDIS."

"You don't want me." Donna said sadly.

"I'm not saying that."

"But you asked me." The Doctor stared back at her sadly as Zara took his hand. "Would you rather be on your own?"

"No. Actually, no. But..." He put the bags to the ground. "The last time, with Martha, like I said it... it got complicated. And that was all my fault. And Zara got really hurt... I just want a mate."

Zara spluttered into laughter as Donna looked at him in shock horror, "You just want TO MATE?" She gasped.

"I just want a mate!"

"You're not mating with me, sunshine!"

"_A _mate, I want _a_ mate!"

"Well just as well, because I'm not having any of that nonsense. I mean you're just a long streak of... nothing. You know, alien nothing."

"There we are, then. OK."

"I can come?"

The Doctor looked to Zara who laughed, "Donna. Let me explain." Donna nodded at her. "Losing Martha really hurt the both of us. And then we met this woman called Astrid, who wanted to come with us. And we weren't ready. But then again, this was about an hour after we lost Martha."

"But... Zara deals with a lot of memories." The Doctor continued.

"You don't know what happened so I don't expect you to be able to help me..." She smiled. "But, we could really just do with a friend. So yeah, yeah. Course you can, yeah."

"I'd love it."

"Ohh, that's just..." Donna gasped. She ran to hug them before stopping suddenly. "Car keys!"

"What?"

"I've still got my mum's car keys! I won't be a minute!" She turned and ran away, Zara laughing.

The Doctor smiled, looking at Zara, "You sure about this?"

"It's your TARDIS." She shrugged.

"It's our TARDIS." Zara frowned at him. "You're a Time Lady-"

"I'm huma-"

"You're a Time Lady." He insisted. "And y'know, you can fly The TARDIS and I think she probably likes you more than me." He laughed. "And, we need to be something new, something different." She frowned more at him. "It's not me, you and Martha anymore. We can be happy again. Starting with this." He reached into her pocket and took the laser screwdriver out. "Lock this away somewhere. As much as I hate to say it, we need to... not forget as such... but carry on from what happened."

Zara smiled tearily at him, "Ok." She whispered as he placed a kiss to her head.

...

Donna stepped into The TARDIS, looking over at The Doctor and Zara standing surrounded by her bags.

"Off we go, then!" She cheered.

"Here it is, the TARDIS." The Doctor smiled. "It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside..."

"Oh, I know that bit. Although frankly, you could turn the heat up."

"Yeah, Doctor!" Zara teased, elbowing him in the side.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her, turning back to Donna, "So, whole wide universe, where do you want to go?"

"Oh, I know exactly the place." Donna smiled.

"Which is?"

"Two and a half miles, that way." She pointed to her right.

...

Donna stood in the doorway of The TARDIS, waving at her grandfather as he peered through the telescope at her. Zara laughed, watching her as she waved frantically, herself and The Doctor giving a small wave.

...

Zara led Donna down the hallways, stopping outside a dark red door.

"And this is your room." She smiled, putting a hand on the door handle. "Uh, there's rooms everywhere, as you can see. But some will be locked..."

Donna frowned, "Why?"

"Well," She nodded down the hallway. "If you go down there, turn right, left, up the spiral staircase and it's the third door down, that's Martha's bedroom. The TARDIS won't let you in. And if you go down this hallway, turn _left_, take the third right and go down the _normal_ staircase and not the spiral one and go to the... seventeenth door down, I think it is, is Rose's room. She won't let you in either. But it's fine, you get used to finding everything." She smiled at her. "So, I'll leave you to it. Night." She turned and headed down the hallway.

"Uh, Zara?" Donna called after her.

"Hm?" She turned back and looked at her.

"You and The Doctor..." Donna smiled at her. "How long has that been, hm?"

"How long has what been?"

"You two, together?"

Zara laughed quietly, "Ah, no. We're not, together..."

"Oh."

"Yeah." She breathed in sharply. "Uhm, yeah, anyway. Goodnight." She turned on her heel and walked off.


	5. Fires Of Pompeii

Zara stood in the 'memory room' as she called it. She sighed, looking round at the shelves, filled with items of old companions.

"Come on." The Doctor called softly, standing in the doorway.

"Ok, ok." Zara muttered. She reached into her pocket, putting the laser screwdriver into a box on the shelf in front of her.

The Doctor moved over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, "It's ok." He mumbled, placing a kiss to her head. "We're gonna forget all of this, I promise."

"Will it stop?" She whispered. "Watching him die over and over again in my dreams."

"Let's go somewhere, hm? What about Rome? It's nice and hot, it'll take your mind off of everything."

"Hm..." She nodded.

Zara turned and left the room as The Doctor shut the box, putting a code on the lock on it.

...

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and pushed aside a rough curtain, Donna and Zara stepping out next to him.

"Ancient Rome." The Doctor beamed, the three of them stepping out into the street with market stalls set up around them. "Well, not to them, obviously. To all intents and purposes right now...this is brand new Rome."

"Oh my God, it's...it's so Roman." Donna gasped enthusiastically. "This is fantastic!" She hugged The Doctor and Zara tightly. "I'm here...in Rome. Donna Noble in Rome." She began to walk along the street. "This is just weird. I mean, everyone here is dead."

"Well, don't go telling them that." Zara laughed.

Donna peered behind them, noticing something, "Hold on a minute. That sign over there is in English. Are you having me on? Are we in Epcot?"

"No, no, no, no. That's the TARDIS translation circuits. Just makes it look like English...speech as well. You're talking Latin right now."

"Seriously?"

"Mmm." The Doctor nodded in agreement.

"I just said 'seriously' in Latin."

"Oh yeah."

Donna laughed, "What if I said something in actual Latin? Like 'veni, vidi, vici'? My dad said that when he came back from football. If I said 'veni, vidi, vici' to that lot, what would it sound like?"

"I'm not sure-you have to think of difficult questions, don't you?"

"I'm gonna try it." She turned and walked up to a stallholder.

"Hello, sweetheart." The stallholder smiled. "What can I get for you, my love?"

"Veni, vidi, vici." Donna stammered.

"Hunh?" He frowned. "Sorry? Me no speak Celtic. No can do, missy."

"Yeah." She nodded awkwardly, walking back over to Zara and The Doctor. "What does he mean 'Celtic'?"

"Welsh." Zara smiled, amused. "You sound Welsh. There we are. That's something."

The Doctor chuckled, taking Zara's hand as the three of them walked through the streets.

"Won't our clothes look a bit odd?" Donna asked.

"Nah." The Doctor shook his head. "Ancient Rome, anything goes. It's like Soho...but bigger."

"You've been here before then?"

"Hm, ages ago. Before you ask, that fire had nothing to do with me, it was Zara and Martha-"

"Don't blame it on us!" Zara exclaimed.

The Doctor rubbed his neck with his spare hand, "Well, it was me, a little bit."

"But we hadn't gotten the chance top look around properly." Zara explained. "Coliseum...Pantheon... Circus Maximus...You'd expect them to be looming by now. Where is everything?" She stopped, looking around. "Try this way." She turned and pulled The Doctor off into a wider street, Donna following.

Donna frowned, looking up into the distance, "I'm not an expert, but there are Seven Hills of Rome, aren't there? How come they only got one?" Zara and The Doctor followed her gaze, looking at the one 'mountain' in the distance as the ground began to shake.

"Here we go again." A local cried as the vendors tried to hold onto their stalls and merchandise.

"Wait a minute! One mountain...with smoke...which makes this..."

"Pompeii." The Doctor breathed, pulling Zara into him protectively. "We're in Pompeii...and it's Volcano Day!"

...

The Doctor, Zara and Donna raced through the streets of Pompeii, arriving back where the parked The TARDIS. Zara pulled back the curtain, only to find the space behind it empty.

"You're kidding." Donna gasped. "Don't tell me the TARDIS is gone."

"OK." The Doctor nodded.

"Where is it then?"

"You told me not to tell you."

"Don't get clever in Latin."

The two of them turned round to already find Zara had run up to the stallholder that Donna had attempted to talk to.

"There was a box-big, blue box." She said to the man quickly. "Big, blue, wooden box...just over there. Where's it gone?"

"Sold it, didn't I?" The stallholder replied smugly.

"But...it wasn't yours to sell."

"It was on my patch, wasn't it? I got 15 sesterce for it. Lovely jubbly." He rubbed his hands together.

Zara stared at him, mouth opened, "Who the bloody hell did you sell it to?" She asked.

"Old Caecilius. Look...if you want to argue, why don't you take it up with him? He's on Foss Street. Big villa can't miss it."

"Thanks." The Doctor called to him, him and Donna running off.

Zara stayed glued to the floor, "What did he buy a big, blue wooden box for?" She exclaimed.

The Doctor bolted back over, grabbing Zara by the waist and pulling her off.

...

The Doctor and Zara ran up to Donna, "Ha! I've got it! Foss Street, this way!" The Doctor cheered.

"No, I've found this big sort of amphitheatre I think..." Donna explained. "We can start there. We can get everyone together. Then maybe they've got a great, big bell or something we could ring. Have they invented bells yet?"

The Doctor frowned, "What do you want a bell for?"

"To warn everyone! To start the evacuation! What time does Vesuvius erupt? When's it due?"

"It's 79 AD, 23 of August which makes Volcano Day tomorrow." Zara said seriously.

"Plenty of time. We can get everyone out easy."

"Except we're not going to." The Doctor said, grabbing her by the hand.

"But that's what you do." Donna said, refusing to budge. "You're the Doctor. You save people."

"But not this time." Zara explained. "Pompeii is a fixed point in history. What happens happens. There is no stopping it." She reached over and grabbed Donna's other hand, trying to pull her along.

"Says who?"

"Says us." The Doctor said, gesturing to himself and Zara.

"What, and you're in charge?"

"TARIDS, Time Lords...yeah."

"Donna, Zara, humans...no!" She argued, gesturing to herself and Zara. "We don't need your permission. We'll tell them myself."

Zara stepped away, holding her hands up. This is why she panicked at the fact that she was a Time Lady after so many years of being human. She'd have to fight between The Doctor and the companion in certain situations.

"You stand in the marketplace and announce the end of the world, they'll just think you're a mad old soothsayer." The Doctor spat at Donna. "Now, come on. TARDIS, we are getting out of here." He grabbed Zara's hand and turned and stormed off.

"Well, I just might have something to say about that, spaceman, insane girl!" Donna shouted, following after him.

"Oh, I bet you will!"

...

The Doctor, Zara and Donna stepped into Caecilius' house during another tremor, The Doctor catching a statue of a head as it fell.

"Whoa!" The Doctor called, slapping its cheek and putting it back onto the shelf. "There you go."

"Thank you, kind sir." An older man with grey hair dressed in a toga, Caecilius, smiled. "I'm afraid business is closed for the day. I'm expecting a visitor."

"Oh, that's me." He leaned forward to shake his hand, "I'm a visitor. Hello." He smiled.

"Who are you?"

"I am...Spartacus."

"And so am I." Donna and Zara replied in unison.

Caecilius frowned, looking between The Doctor and Donna, "Mr and Mrs Spartacus?"

"Oh no, we're not married." The Doctor shook his head.

"Not together." Donna nodded in agreement.

"Oh, then brother and sister?" Caecilius asked. "Yes, of course. You look very much alike."

"Really?" The Doctor and Donna asked in unison, looking at each other.

Caecilius looked to Zara, noticing the silver ring on her finger. "Of course, that's why! She would be Mrs Spartacus." Zara opened her mouth to correct the man, only to be cut off. "I'm sorry, but I'm not open for trade."

"And that trade would be?" The Doctor asked.

"Marble. Lucius Caecilius. Mining, polishing and design thereof. If you want marble, I'm your man."

"That's good. That's good, 'cause I'm the marble inspector." He took out his psychic paper, holding it up to Caecilius.

His wife Metella, a woman behind him in a toga, gasped, "By the gods of commerce, an inspection." She snatched a cup of wine from her son as he sat by the pool. "I'm sorry, sir. I do apologize for my son." She poured the wine into the pool.

"Oi!" Quintis, their son, cried.

"This is my good wife, Metella." Caecilius introduced. "I-I must confess, we're not prepared for a-"

"Nothing to worry about." The Doctor smiled. "I-I'm sure you've got nothing to hide."

"Although, frankly, that..." Zara muttered, spotting the TARDIS in the corner. "Object...rather looks like wood to me." She, Donna and The Doctor walked towards it.

"I told you to get rid of it!" Metella hissed.

"I only bought it today." Caecilius said nervously.

"Ah, well." The Doctor shrugged. "Caveat Emptor."

"Oh, you're Celtic. There's lovely."

"I'm sure it's fine but I might have to take it off your hands for a proper inspection." Zara remarked.

"Although, while we're here, wouldn't you recommend a holiday, Spartacus?" Donna asked.

The Doctor frowned, "I don't know what you mean, Spartacus."

"Oh, this lovely family, mother and father and son... Don't you think they should get out of town?"

"Why should we do that?" Caecilius asked.

The Doctor rubbed his eye and Zara winced as Donna explained, "Well, the volcano for starters."

"What?"

"Volcano."

"What-ano?"

"That great big volcano right on your doorstep."

"Oh, Spartacus, for shame." Zara said quickly. "We haven't even greeted the household gods yet." She pulled her over towards the shrine, The Doctor following. "They don't know what it is." She hissed. "Vesuvius is just a mountain to them. The top hasn't blown off yet." She dipped her hand in the water, sprinking the shrine. "The Romans haven't even got a word for volcano. Not until tomorrow."

"Oh great." Donna replied sarcastically. "They can learn a new word...when they die."

"Donna, stop it." The Doctor hissed.

"Listen, I don't know what sort of kids you've been flyin' around with in outer space, but you're not telling me to shut up. That boy..." She pointed back to Quintus. "How old is he, sixteen? And tomorrow he burns to death."

"And that's my fault?"

"Right now, yes!"

A servant stepped into the room, "Announcing Lucius Petrus Dextrus, Chief Augur of the city government." He called.

An older man strode in, a cloak draped over his right side.

Caecilius approached Lucius, "Lucius, my pleasure as always."

The Doctor, Zara and Donna left the shrine, peering over at the visitor.

"Quintus, stand up." Metella muttered, making Quintus stand up with a sigh.

"A rare and great honour, sir, for you to come to my house." Caecilius held his hand out to Lucius, only for the man to ignore it.

"The birds are flying north...and the wind is in the west." Lucius said wisely.

"Right." Caecilius nodded, puzzled. "Absolutely. That's good, is it?"

"Only the grain of wheat knows where it will grow."

Caecilius looked back at Metella, "There now, Metella, have you ever heard such wisdom?"

"Never." Metella smiled. "It's an honour."

"Pardon me, sir, I have guests." He gestured back to The Doctor, Zara and Donna. "This is Spartacus, Spartacus, and, uh, Spartacus."

The Doctor, Donna and Zara waved over at the man.

"A name is but a cloud upon a summer wind." Lucius called.

"But the wind is felt most keenly in the dark." The Doctor replied carefully.

"Ah! What is the dark other than an omen of the sun?"

"I concede that every sun must set..."

"Ha!"

"...and yet the son of the father must also rise."

"Damn. Very clever, sir. Evidently a man of learning."

"Oh yes, but don't mind me. Don't want to disturb the status quo."

"He's Celtic." Caecilius whispered to Lucius.

"We'll be off in a minute." He took Donna, heading for The TARDIS with Donna following.

"I'm not going." Donna refused.

"It's ready, sir." Caecilius said to Lucius.

"You've got to." The Doctor muttered.

"Well I'm not." Donna snapped.

"The moment of revelation." Caecilius smiled, unveiling a square piece of marble. "And here it is..." Zara stopped, frowning at the marble. "Exactly as you specified. It pleases you, sir?" The Doctor and Donna stopped, also looking at the marble.

"As the rain pleases the soil." Lucius nodded.

The Doctor and Zara shared a look before the two of them made their way over to them.

"Oh now that's...different." The Doctor commented. "Who designed that then?"

"My lord Lucius was very specific." Caecilius explained.

"Where'd you get the pattern?" Zara asked.

"On the rain and mist and wind." Lucius replied.

"Well that looks like a circuit." Donna frowned.

"Made of stone." Zara nodded.

"Do you mean you just dreamt that up?"

"That is my job...as City Augur." Lucius said.

"What's that then, like the mayor?"

"Oh, ah, you must excuse my friend. She's from...Barcelona." The Doctor said quickly.

"This is an age of superstition...of official superstition." Zara whispered to Donna. "The augur is paid by the city to tell the future. "The wind will blow from the west." That's the equivalent of the 10:00 news."

A girl with black hair and dressed in a yellow dress, Evelina, Caecilius and Metella's daughter, stumbled in, looking pale and drawn, barely able to stand.

"They're laughing at us." Evelina said dryly. "Those three, they use words like tricksters. They're mocking us."

"No, no." The Doctor defended. "I meant no offence."

"I'm sorry." Metella apologised. "My daughter's been consuming the vapours." She moved over to Evelina.

"By the gods, Mother!" Quintus gasped. "What have you been doing to her?"

"Not now, Quintus." Caecilius said warningly.

"But she's sick. Just look at her."

"I gather I have a rival in this household." Lucius sneered. "Another with the gift."

Metella nodded proudly, "Oh, she's been promised to the Sybiline Sisterhood. They say she has remarkable visions."

"The prophecies of women are limited and dull. Only the men folk have the capacity for true perception."

"I'll tell you where the wind's blowing right now, mate." Donna muttered sarcastically.

The ground shook again, The Doctor glancing at Zara out of the corner of his eye protectively.

"The mountain god marks your words. I'd be careful if I were you."

"Consuming the vapours, you say?" The Doctor asked.

"They give me strength." Evelina breathed.

"It doesn't look like it to me."

"Is that your opinion...as a doctor?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Doctor. That's your name."

The Doctor stared at her, bewildered, "How did you know that?"

Evelina turned to Donna, "And you, you call yourself noble."

"Now then Evelina, don't be rude." Metella whispered.

"No, no, no. Let her talk." Zara mumbled as Evelina turned to her.

"And you, it's you..." Evelina whispered, staring at Zara in fear. "The Zarantheon Paradox..."

"Oh, not again..." Zara breathed in horror, both her and The Doctor thinking back to when the Family had called her that. "Stop calling me that."

"The three of them come from so far away."

"A female soothsayer in inclined to invent all sorts of vagaries." Lucius spat.

"Oh, not this time, Lucius." The Doctor muttered. "I reckon you've been out-soothsaid."

"Is that so...man from Gallifrey?"

"What?"

Lucius looked at Zara, "The woman born of this Earth, but with the essence of Gallifrey running through her blood." He looked between Zara and The Doctor. "Strangest of images. Your home is lost in fire, is it not?"

"Doctor, Zara, what are they doing?" Donna asked nervously.

Lucius sharply turned to her, "And you, daughter of...London."

"How does he know that?"

"This is the gift of Pompeii. Every single oracle tells the truth."

"But that's impossible."

He turned back to The Doctor, "Doctor, she is returning."

"Who is?" The Doctor asked. "Who's she?"

"And you, Daughter of London...you have something on your back."

"What's that mean?" Donna asked, frightened.

"Even the word "Doctor" is false." Evelina taunted. "Your real name is hidden. It burns in the stars of the cascade of Medusa herself. You are a lord, sir. A lord...of time." She turned to Zara. "And you are the falsest of them all. You hide from a Captain and a Doctor, out of fear because of the blood on your hands." Zara stared at her violently, shaking at the mention of Martha and Jack. "You are a murderer... you're the..." She gasped, shaking with fear. "The Zarantheon Paradox." She gasped, fainting.

"Evelina!" Metella cried, running over to her with The Doctor as Zara stared at her, shaking whilst Donna looked over at Zara cautiously.

...

Donna and Zara approached Evelina unconscious on the bed cautiously, Metella caring for her.

"She didn't mean to be rude." Metella sighed. "She's ever such a good girl. But when the gods speak through her..." She unwraped the cloth from Evelina's arm.

"What's wrong with her arm?" Donna asked.

"An irritation of the skin. She never complains, bless her. We bathe it in olive oil every night."

"What is it?" Zara muttered, moving closer.

"Evelina said you'd come from far away. Please, have you ever seen anything like it?"

Zara's eyes widened, running a finger along Evelina's arm, "It's stone." She muttered.

...

Evelina laughed, watching Donna twirl round in a purple gown. Zara watched with a sad smile, sitting next to Evelina.

"You're not supposed to laugh." Donna chuckled. "Thanks for that. What do you think?" She struck a pose. "The goddess Venus."

Evelina laughed, "Oh, that's sacrilege."

"Nice to see you laugh, though." She sat on the other side of her. "What do you do in old Pompeii, then...girls your age? You got...mates? Do you go hangin' about 'round the shops? T.K. Maximus?"

Zara let out a small laugh, smiling at Donna.

Evelina shook her head, "I'm promised to the sisterhood for the rest of my life."

"You get any choice in that?"

"It's not my decision. I have the gift of sight. The sisters chose for me."

"Then...what can you see happening tomorrow?"

"Donna..." Zara whispered warningly.

"Is tomorrow special?" Evelina frowned.

"You tell me." Donna shrugged. "What do you see?"

Evelina shut her eyes, "The sun will rise. The sun will set. Nothing special at all." She opened her eyes again.

"Look...don't tell the Doctor I said anything 'cause he'll kill me...but I've got a prophecy too."

"Donna!" Zara snapped as Evelina covered her eyes with her hands.

"Zara..." Donna sighed angrily. "You may have never got to go to your planet, but it still burnt. How can you..." Zara sighed, shaking her head as Donna turned back to Evelina. "Evelina, I'm sorry, but you've got to hear me out... Evelina, can you hear me? Listen."

"There is only one prophecy." Evelina gasped.

"But everything I'm about to say to you is true. I swear. Just listen to me. Tomorrow, that mountain is going to explode. Evelina, please listen. The air is going to fill with ash and rocks...tons and tons of it and...this whole town is gonna get buried."

Zara put her head in her hands, trying to stop tears flowing at the similar thought of fire.

_The Doctor walked towards The Master's funeral pyre, carrying a torch. Zara stood next to him, staring tearfully as The Doctor lit the pyre._

"That's not true."

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, but everyone's gonna die."

Zara let out a silent sob, thinking of all the death she'd caused.

_Zara raised the gun she still held, aiming it shakily at The Master, anger writhing through her before squeezing the trigger. _

"Even if you don't believe me, just tell your family to get out of town..." Donna begged. "Just for one day, just for tomorrow. But you've got to get out! Just leave Pompeii!"

"This is false prophecy!" Evelina cried, moving her hands away from her eyes.

...

Metella, Caecilius, Donna, Evelina and Zara stood in the main room of the villa when the ground shook, all of them looking around nervously.

"What is it?" Metella asked. "What's that noise?"

"Doesn't sound like Vesuvius." Caecilius frowned.

The Doctor bolted in with Quintus, "Caecilius!" He shouted. "All of you, get out!"

"Doctor, what is it?" Donna asked.

"I think we're being followed." The grille over the hypocaust blew into the air, The Doctor pulling Zara closer to him protectively. "Just get out!" He attempted to herd them out the door, only for them to freeze and watch the ground crack, a loud growling filling the room. A giant creature made of stone and magma smashed its way through, towering over them.

"The gods are with us." Evelina breathed.

"Water! We need water! Quintus, all of you, get water! Donna!"

Donna, Quintus and one of the servants ran out of the room when another servant stepped towards the creature.

"Blessed are we to see the gods." He gasped. The creature breathed fire at the servant, burning him to ash.

The Doctor bolted forward, holding his hands out, "Talk to me!" He shouted to the creature, keeping Zara protectively behind him. "That's all I want! Talk to me. Tell me who you are. Don't hurt these people."

"Talk to us." Zara called, stepping beside The Doctor who watched her nervously. "I'm Zara Saxon and he's the Doctor. Tell us who you are." The creature went to burn the two of them, The Doctor pulling Zara into a tight hug as Quintus ran in.

"Doctor, Zara!" He called, throwing water onto the creature with the servant, making it freeze before it fell to crumbling pieces.

"What was it?" Caecilius gasped.

"Carapace of stone...held together by internal magma." Zara muttered. "Not too difficult to stop. But I reckon that's just a foot soldier."

"Doctor, Zara..." Metella breathed. "Or whatever your names are...you bring bad luck in this house."

"I thought your son was brilliant." The Doctor snapped. "Aren't you going to thank him?" Quintus looked at him, surprised as Metella pulled him into a hug. "Still...guess there are aliens at work in Pompeii and it's a good thing we stayed." He winked at Zara before looking around. "Donna! Donna? Donna?!"

...

Donna lay on a sacrifice table, about to be stabbed by one of the Sybil sisters, Spurrina.

"Let me...go!" Donna shouted.

"This prattling will cease...forever." Spurrina raised the dagger above her head, about to stab her.

"Oh, that'll be the day." The Doctor remarked.

The sisters and Donna looked round to find The Doctor and Zara, "No man is allowed to enter the Temple of Sybil."

"Oh, that's all right, just us girls." The Doctor grinned, walking towards them. "Do you know, we met the Sibyl once." He looked back at Zara, "Didn't we love?"

Zara nodded, "Hell of a woman." She agreed. "Blimey, she could dance a tarantella. Truth be told, I think she had a bit of a thing for the Doctor. I said it would never last. She said, "I know"."

"Well, she would." He stopped in front of Donna. "You all right there?"

"Oh, never better." Donna replied sarcastically.

"I like the toga." He reached into his pocket and took out the sonic.

"Thank you. And the ropes?"

"Eh, not so much." He shrugged, using the screwdriver on the ropes.

"What magic is this?" Spurrina asked.

The Doctor flipped the sonic, putting it in his pocket, "Let me tell you about the Sibyl...the founder of this religion. She would be ashamed of you. All her wisdom and insight turned sour. IS that how you spread the word, eh? On the blade of a knife?"

"Yes...a knife that now welcomes you!" She raised her knife only for Zara to move over, pulling the knife out of her hand and throwing it at the wall, leaving it stuck in, making Spurrina watch her in shock and The Doctor smirk.

"Show me this man and woman." A voice, the High Priestess, croaked from behind a curtain behind the altar. They all turned and the sisters kneeled.

"High Priestess, the stranger would defy us!"

"Let me see. These two are different. They carry starlight in their wake."

The Doctor, Donna and Zara approached the curtain.

"Ah, very perceptive." The Doctor nodded. "Where do these words of wisdom come from?"

"The gods whisper to me."

"Oh, they've done far more than that." Zara remarked. "Ah, might we beg audience, look upon the High Priestess?"

The curtain parted and the three of them stared at the High Priestess as she sat upon a bed, her body nearly completely converted to stone.

"Oh my God!" Donna gasped. "What's happened to you?"

"The heavens have blessed me." The High Priestess croaked.

"If I might..." The Doctor motioned to her. The High Priestess held out her arm and he knelt down and touched it. "Does it hurt?"

"It is necessary."

"Who told you that?"

"The voices."

"Is that what's happening to Evelina?" Donna asked, turning to the sisters. "Is this what's gonna happen to all of you?"

Spurrina moved over to them, showing her arm that was partially stone, "The blessings are manifold."

Donna gently touched her arm, "They're stone."

"Exactly." The Doctor sighed, standing up and moving back down to Donna and Zara. "The people of Pompeii are turning to stone before the volcano erupts. But why?"

"This word..." The High Priestess croaked. "This image in your mind, this "volcano", what is that?"

"More to the point, why don't you know about it?" Zara frowned. "Who are you?"

"High Priestess of the Sibyline."

"No, no, no, no. I'm talking to the creature inside you. The thing that's seeding itself into a human body, in the dust in the lungs...taking over the flesh and turning it into...what?"

"Your knowledge is impossible."

"Oh, but you can read my mind. You know it's not. I demand you tell us who you are!"

"We...are...awakening!" The High Priestess croaked, echoing.

"The voice of the gods!" Spurrina gasped.

"Words of wisdom, words of power. " The sisters chanted, repeating themselves. "Words of wisdom, words of power."

"Name yourself!" Zara snapped. "Planet of origin, galactic coordinates, species designation according to the universal ratification of the Shadow Proclamation."

"We...are...rising!" The High Priestess echoed.

"Tell me your name!"

The High Priestess threw back her hood, "Pyrovile!"

"Pyrovile." The sisters chanted, repeating themselves. "Pyrovile."

"What's a Pyrovile?" Donna asked.

"Well, that's a Pyrovile...growing inside her." The Doctor explained, nodding at the High Priestess. "She's at the halfway stage."

"Well, and that turns into?"

"That thing in the villa, that was an adult Pyrovile."

"And the breath of a Pyrovile will incinerate you, Doctor." The High Priestess gasped.

"I warn you...I'm armed." He pulled out a water pistol. "Donna, get that grille open."

"What are...?" Donna frowned.

"Just..." He jerked his head to the grille.

"What are the Pyrovile doing here?" Zara asked.

"We fell from the heavens." The High Priestess croaked. "We fell so far and so fast we were rendered into dust."

"Right." The Doctor nodded. "Creatures of stone shatter on impact. When was that, 17 years ago?"

"We have slept beneath for thousands of years."

"Okay, so 17 years ago woke you up and now you're using human bodies to reconstitute yourself, but why the psychic powers?" Zara frowned.

"We opened their minds and found such gifts."

"Yeah, okay, fine. You force yourself inside a human brain, use the latent psychic talent to bond. I get that. I get that. Yeah, but... seeing the future, that is way beyond psychic, you can see through time. Where does the gift of prophecy come from?"

"I got it!" Donna called, pulling off the grille.

"Now get down." The Doctor called, putting his arm around Zara's waist, the two of them making their way back towards her, the water pistol still aimed at the High Priestess.

"What, down there?"

"Yes, down there!"

"Why can't this lot predict the volcano?" Zara asked. "Why is it being hidden?"

"Sisters, I see into his mind." Spurrina gasped. "The weapon is harmless."

"Yeah, but it's got a sting!" The Doctor reasoned, shooting water at the High Priestess and making her scream in pain. "Get down there!" Donna dropped through the opening, The Doctor and Zara following.

"You fought her off with a water pistol." Donna gasped as Zara and The Doctor dropped down next to her in the volcanic tunnel. "I bloody love you."

The Doctor stood up, "This way." He nodded, taking Zara's hand.

"Where are we going now?"

"Into the volcano."

"No way."

"Yes way." He twirled the pistol in his hand. "Appian way." He pulled Zara along, the three of them heading off.

"But if it's aliens setting off the volcano, doesn't that make it all right? For you to stop it?"

Zara shook her head, "Still part of history."

"Well, I'm history too. The Doctor saved me in 2008. He saved us all. Why is that different?"

"Some things are fixed, some things are in flux. Pompeii is fixed."

"How do you know which is which?"

The Doctor and Zara stopped, "Because that's how we see the universe." The Doctor said sadly. "Every waking second, we can see what is, what was...what could be, what must not. That's the burden of the Time Lord, Donna. We're the only ones left." Zara looked away sadly as The Doctor carried on walking, pulling her with him.

"How many people died?" Donna called after him.

"Stop it!"

"Doctor!" The Doctor stopped, him and Zara looking back. "How many people died?"

"Twenty thousand." Zara gulped.

"Is that what you can see, Doctor, Zara? All 20,000? And you think that's all right, do you?"

A screech of a Pyrovile filled the air.

"They know we're here!" The Doctor gulped. "Come on."

They began to run off, dodging fire being shot at them and running into a great cavern.

"It's the heart of Vesuvius." Zara whispered as the three of them watched Pyroviles run about. "We're right inside the mountain."

"There's tons of 'em." Donna mumbled.

"What's that thing?" Zara asked, pointing at a large rock in the distance. The Doctor frowned, taking out a small telescope and peering through it.

"Well, you'd better hurry up and think of something. Rocky IV's on its way."

The Doctor frowned, looking at the interior of a ship, "That's how they arrived...or what's left of it." He explained. "Escape pod? Prison ship? Gene bank?" He collapsed the telescope, pocketing it.

"But why do they need a volcano? Maybe...it erupts and they launch themselves back in space or something."

"No, it's worse that that." Zara muttered.

"How can it be worse?" A Pyrovile roared in the distance. "Doctor, it's getting closer."

"Heathens!" A voice shouted. The three of them looked up to find Lucius highger up in the cavern, glaring at them. "Defilers! They would desecrate your temple, my lord gods!"

"Come on!" The Doctor called, the three of them running across the cavern floor.

"We can't go in!" Donna gasped.

"We can't go back!"

"Crush them!" Lucius ordered. "Burn them!"

The three of them suddenly stopped as a Pyrovile rose in front of them. The Doctor took out the water pistol, using it on the Pyrovile and making it shy away in pain. Zara glared up at Lucius and the three of them continued running.

"There is nowhere to run, Doctor, Daughter of London and the Zarantheon Paradox."

The Doctor stopped in front of the pod, "Now then, Lucius. My lord Pyrovillian...don't get yourselves in a lava." He looked to Donna and Zara. "In a lava...no?"

"No." Donna and Zara replied, unimpressed.

"No." He looked back to Lucius. "But if I might beg the wisdom of the gods before we perish...once this new race of creatures is complete...then what?"

"My masters will follow the example of Rome itself, an almighty empire, bestriding the whole of civilization." Lucius replied.

"But if you've crashed...and you've got all this technology, why don't you just go home?" Donna asked.

"The heaven of Pyrovillia is gone."

"What do you mean "gone"?" Zara frowned. "Where's it gone?"

"It was taken. Pyrovillia is lost. But there is heat enough in this world for our new species to rise."

"Yeah, I should warn you, it's 70% water out there." The Doctor called.

"Water can boil and everything will burn, Doctor!"

The Doctor pocketed the water pistol, "Then the whole planet is at stake. Thank you, that's all I needed to know. Donna, Zara!" He pushed them into the pod and sonic the door shut.

"Could we be any more trapped?" Donna asked, glancing around the tiny pod filled with wires and controls. "Little bit hot."

"See, the energy converted takes the lava, uses the power to create a fusion matrix which wields Pyrovile to human." Zara explained. "Now it's complete, they can convert millions."

"Well, can you change it...with these controls?"

"Well, Zara can." The Doctor nodded. "But that's why the soothsayers can't see the volcano. There is no volcano. Vesuvius is never going to erupt. The Pyrovile are stealing all its power. They're gonna use it to take over the world."

"But you can change it back." Donna frowned.

Zara nodded hastily, "Well, I can avert the system, so the volcano will blow them up, yes, but...that's the choice, Donna. It's Pompeii or the world."

"Oh my God." Donna whispered, shocked.

"If Pompeii is destroyed, then it's not just history, it's me." Zara gulped, staring off in the distance. "I make it happen."

"But the Pyrovile are made of rock. Maybe they can't be blown up."

Zara began to work with the machinery, "Vesuvius explodes with the force of 24 nuclear bombs. Nothing can survive it." The Doctor explained, looking at Donna. "Certainly not us."

"Never mind us."

He put his hands on the lever, "Push this lever and it's all over. 20,000 people." He gulped, not wanting to do it. He looked up at Zara tearily, "I can't kill you." He whispered.

She put her hands on top of his, "I've killed one Time Lord." She said quietly. "I can kill another." She stared back at him, tears pouring down her face. Donna placed her hands on top of theirs, The Doctor pressing his lips against Zara's as the three of them pushed down on the lever.

...

The Doctor, Donna and Zara stepped out of the pod at the foot of the volacano, a little shaken.

"It was an escape pod." The Doctor gasped before looking back at the volcano and grabbing Donna and Zara's hands, the three of them running off.

...

Zara stopped amongst the choas in one of the streets, The Doctor looking back at her.

"Where's Donna?" She shouted over the noise.

The two of them glanced back to find Donna behind them, looking around tearily.

The Doctor ran back, grabbing her hand, "Come on." The three of them ran off.

...

The Doctor, Donna and Zara ran into Caecilius' villa, the family huddled in the corner.

"Gods save us, Doctor!" Caecilius cried.

The Doctor stared back at them before pulling Zara into The TARDIS.

"You can't!" Donna gasped. "Doctor, you can't!" She followed them into The TARDIS. "You can't just leave them!" She cried, The Doctor making his way around the console, ready to fly off, Zara leaning against the railings.

"Don't you think we've done enough?" The Doctor snapped, gesturing to himself and Zara. "History's back in place and everyone dies."

"You've got to go back! Doctor, Zara, I am telling you, take this thing back!" The Doctor pulled at the break, The TARDIS dematerializing. Tears steamed down Donna's face as The Doctor turned away, pulling Zara into a hug and leaning against the console. "It's not fair."

"No, it's not."

"But your own planet, it burned."

He looked up at her, "That's just it. Don't you see, Donna? Can't you understand? If we could go back and save them then we would, but we can't. And Zara will never know what it was like. We can never go back! We can't! We just...can't!" He leant his forehead against Zara's. "We can't."

"Just someone. Please." Donna begged. "Not the whole town. Just save someone."

Zara reached behind The Doctor's back, pulling a lever.

...

The TARDIS relanded in Caecilius' villa and the door opened, a bright light pouring out. The Doctor stepped out, holding his hand out to Caecilius, Metella, Quintus and Evelina.

"Come with me." He said quietly, Caecilius reaching out and grabbing The Doctor's hand.

...

Caecilius, Metella, Quintus, Evelina, Donna, The Doctor and Zara stood on a hill, overlooking the horror that struck Pompeii.

"It is never forgotten, Caecilius." The Doctor called softly as he put his arm around Zara's waist. "Oh time will pass, men will move on, and stories will fade, but one day...Pompeii will be found again...in thousands of years...and everyone will remember you."

"What about you, Evelina?" Donna asked. "Can you see anything?"

Evelina shook her head, "The visions have gone."

"The explosion was so powerful, it cracked open a rift in time." Zara explained, staring out in the distance sharply. "Just for a second. That's what gave you the gift of prophecy. It echoed back into the Pyrovillian alternative. But not anymore. You're free."

"But tell me...who are you, Doctor, Zara...with your words...and your temple containing such size within?" Metella asked.

"Oh, we were never here." The Doctor replied. "Don't tell anyone."

"The great go Vulcan must be enraged." Caecilius breathed. "It's so volcanic. It's like some sort of...volcano." He gulped tearfully. "All those people..." He pulled Metella into a hug and Quintus took Evelina's hand as The Doctor, Zara and Donna stepped back into The TARDIS.

"Thank you." Donna smiled.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded.

"You were right." Zara said tiredly. "Sometimes he need someone." She nodded to The Doctor. "For when I don't have the strength to stop him Welcome aboard."

"Yeah." Donna smiled.


End file.
